


Seven Heartbeats

by silver_tt



Series: The Institution [2]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), Little Mix (Band), One Direction (Band)
Genre: Depression, M/M, Self-Harm, Superheroes, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-02
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-04-29 15:27:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5132663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_tt/pseuds/silver_tt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just seven days after the boys escaped the Institution, the hunt is on again. This time, Leigh and the other women have new plans and new allies that could spell the end for Louis and his friends. And too many of the boys have scars that keep them from fighting back.</p><p>(It's pretty important that you read the previous work in this series. Otherwise, very little will make sense.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Home

Seven heartbeats entered the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Seven heartbeats said goodbye.

"Where are you headed?" Liam asked. Technically, none of them were supposed to know that. But then, none of them really cared.

"Doncaster."

"Holmes Chapel."

"Mullingar, Ireland."

"Treviso, Italy," Pete said.

"Barcelona," Josue said.

The past seven days they had wandered Finland until they had found civilization. They had been processed by the Finnish police. And in those seven days, they had bonded even more.

"What about you two?" Louis asked.

"I'm headed to Wolverhampton. Zayn's in Bradford."

Zayn had said very little over the seven days. He had kept close to Liam at all times, and Liam did most of his talking for him.

"I'm sure we'll see each other again," Harry said, his voice thick.

"Don't you dare," Louis said, sure that Harry would start to cry. He brought a hand up to cover his eyes.

Niall was the first to cry. Before long, five boys were left blubbering in the airport, with Pete and Josue looking on with only slight discomfort. Then all seven of them hugged and boarded their private planes that would take them home. Louis stared out the window, numb, as his plane sped down the runway and soared into the air. The new clothes he wore were too soft, too expensive, and gifted to him by immense compensation from the government.

"Mr. Tomlinson?"

Louis turned his head and saw a woman standing before him. She was thin and pale with dark, wavy hair and round eyes. "Yes?"

"I'm Eleanor Calder. I've been assigned as your bodyguard until your situation is resolved."

"Do you have any idea what my situation is?"

"I've been told it was classified. My only concern is your protection."

Louis pulled one leg up onto the seat, knee to his chest. The roar of the engines filled his ears. "I doubt it will ever be resolved."

Eleanor Calder sat back down on the other end of the plane, in the perfect seat to keep an eye on Louis. As if anyone would attack him on a plane. But Louis knew the Institution would never stop. From what Pete and Josue had said, the Institution was, among other things, very persistent and extremely powerful.

But right now, Louis just wanted to be home.

 

~

 

The plane touched down in a small air strip a few minutes out of Doncaster. It cruised along the pavement before rolling to a stop. Ten racing heartbeats waited for him.

He had been gone just over two weeks, but he was confident that he could never go back to his normal life. The closer he got to home, the more sure he was. Those ten heartbeats could never know what he could do or what he had done.

But still he stepped out from the airplane and down the stairs and accepted the mob of hugs from all seven of his siblings. His stepdad shook his hand and pulled him into a tight embrace. His mom, Johanna, waited until he was free to crush him in an embrace of her own, tears streaming down her face.

"My boy," she cried.

"Hey, mum," Louis said.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Last came Stan. Louis' heart was heavy as they hugged. He wished Stan had died. It would make life easier. And he hated himself for wishing that.

"I missed you," Stan whispered.

"I was only gone two weeks."

"Too long." Stan pushed Louis back, holding him at arm's length. His eyes took Louis in. "You seem different."

"You have no idea."

Johanna clapped a hand on Louis' shoulder, making him jump. She pulled her hand back and looked at him curiously. "I've made reservations at Mag's."

As much as he loved Mag's, he was tired and wanted to sleep in his own bed. He knew he had to make an effort, though. He had gone two weeks without them, and they had gone two weeks without him. They had probably been hurting just as much, if not more, than him. Emotionally, anyway. He smiled and nodded, sure they would see through his fake grin. "Great."

Clearly they thought he was sincere. The climbed into three different cars, none of them questioning as Eleanor Calder followed them. They formed a caravan for a boy who didn't want or deserve a welcome. He tried to tune out the noise of the car and his mother's nonstop talking, and the feeling of Stan's dry hand tight in his, but it was hard without Harry. Hard to concentrate without that steady heartbeat, those green eyes, the smell of coconut wafting off his skin. He wondered if the other boys were having this much trouble feeling at home.

 

~

 

Harry went home happily to his mother and sister. The three of them ate a quiet dinner in their flat and celebrated the birthday he had missed. He ignored the nagging feeling of emptiness where the other boys, especially Louis, had been.

Niall was greeted by his entire extended family. His brother asked him whether his bodyguard was his new girlfriend. They drove to Dublin late in the night and spent the weekend getting drunk at various bars. Niall was trying to forget.

Liam and his family snuggled on the couch, wrapped up safe and warm. They watched all of Liam's favorite movies while eating popcorn. He closed his eyes through any love scenes, because they all reminded him too much of his past with Zayn and the fact that they wouldn't have a future.

Zayn excused himself early from dinner and sat on the floor of his room, tracing patterns in the carpet. He felt terrible, even though Liam had forgiven him. He deserved the scars that Niall had healed. He deserved a physical reminder of his wrongs.

Josue ate a late dinner on his family's front porch, torches lighting the yard and laughter drifting through the air. He tried to remember what fun was like after so long. He tried to remember what life was like before, but he felt he would never know.

And Pete went back to the shelter in Treviso, where he and his family had lived all his life. Here he discovered that he had no family left, that all of them had died in the past few years. He never forgot Dwayne, who had become his brother.

 

~

 

Louis wanted to give Stan a few days before breaking up with him, a few days of happiness before it all ended. He deserved that, at least. But when Stan fell asleep on Louis' shoulder, adding more weight than Louis could bear, he couldn't take it.

"Mum?" Louis said.

"Yeah, love?" Johanna turned a corner.

"Can you drop Stan off at his place?"

She furrowed her brow. "He can stay the night with you, if you like."

Louis shook his head. "I need to be alone."

They pulled up to Stan's house, and as if he had sensed it, Stan woke up. "What are we..."

"I'll walk you to the door," Louis said. 

He and Stan walked up the cobblestone pathway to the door, ignoring Eleanor Calder's uncomfortably close proximity. Louis turned to look Stan in the eyes but said nothing. Stan's eyes were green, too, but they were nothing like Harry's.

"What is it?" Stan asked. He took Louis' hands in his.

Louis pulled away. "We have to break up."

Stan looked shell shocked for a moment. "W-what?"

Louis shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't. You deserve more than me, and I deserve someone who understands what I've gone through the past few weeks."

Stan stepped forward, reaching out for Louis. His arms fell as Louis backed away. "Tell me so I can understand."

"You will never understand."

Louis walked away then, before he could change his mind. This was going to haunt him, but he knew it was for the best. He climbed into the passenger seat and flinched as Johanna took his hand in hers. This time, though, she didn't let go. "What happened?"

"I broke up with Stan."

"I mean over the time you were away."

Her hand was too soft, too coddling. He smiled weakly and pulled himself away. "I just want to go home."

He felt the nonexistent scars burning under his skin, the remnants of Harry's hands on him. A lot had happened, but Johanna could never know.

Eleanor Calder sat silently in the back, a reminder of the Institution's power. Louis and the others had been warned not to tell their families what had happened. As far as they were concerned, the seven boys had spent however much time they were gone sat in a blank room doing nothing. The boy's weren't allowed to see or talk to each other, either. They weren't supposed to use their powers. Everything Louis and the others needed to do and needed to _not_ do added to the feeling of isolation. They could never say anything. As far as their families were concerned, the Institution didn't exist. 


	2. Prisons

"I have to say, those boys kind of freak me out," Perrie said.

Leigh rolled her eyes. Honestly, she agreed. The volunteers from Australia hadn't said a single word between the four of them since they had arrived a month ago. The four women, along with Charlotte Singh, watched through cameras scattered about the forest as the volunteers went through their exercises. This was the last test before they would go out and find the escaped boy, all seven of whom Leigh had taken to calling the bravos.

"Why, may I ask?" Singh asked.

"They're just so... Quiet."

Michael sped off as Luke moved forward to distract the woman they were after. Leigh had gotten used to Luke purposefully taking fire. "That's going to get him killed someday," she said. "He won't be able to use his abilities, or the weapon will be different. He can't just keep taking fire." Michael quickly took her down, burying her under his weight.

Singh nodded. "You're right. While he works well as a distraction, that's not always the best course of action."

"Do you think we should add more exercises?" 

Singh nodded. "Instead of throwing them into the woods again, we should add some... Tactical training."

"Teach them to work as a team. I like it." Leigh sounded a bell that rang through the woods, signaling an end to the drill. Michael helped the woman stand. Another screen showed Calum and Ashton walking together back toward the compound. "They still need training."

"Remember, though, that the oldest of them is only twenty one. The youngest of yours was a year older than that."

"True."

Singh opened the door and stepped out into the hall, and Leigh followed. Dark blood still stained some of the walls. There was only so much they could do. They had had to provide funerals for almost twenty women and contact what families they had left. In addition to taking care of the injured women and training the volunteers, they hadn't gotten very far. "Speaking of yours, have you found them yet?"

Leigh nodded. "They did a very bad job at hiding. They all simply went back home. The only one we're having trouble finding is Pete, since no one cared enough to even report him missing. We have operatives in Treviso looking for him."

"As soon as the volunteers are properly trained, we'll send them out to find the bravos."

Leigh and Singh stood side by side, their stances identical and their hands clasped in front of them. They both had the same dark skin and curly hair, though Singh's was more loose. They even wore similar outfits: black pants and black shirts, with leather jackets over the top. The two of them were the same in many ways. Jade, Jesy, and Perrie once again fanned out behind them, this time joined by a blonde woman from Australia named Vanna.

The volunteers arrived on the lawn and stopped in front of the women. "Good job," Singh said. "You boys never cease to amaze me." 

"However, over the past month, we have observed a few... problems with your tactical skills," Leigh said. "Because of this, we will add tactical training before you can go and find the bravos."

The volunteers nodded before they went inside.

"Don't get me wrong," Leigh said. "You have done a wonderful job training those boys."

Singh smirked. "They were willing to learn."

 

~

 

The volunteers shared a room near the back of the building, in a hallway all to themselves. They very rarely slept, spending most of their time talking. They only took their oath of silence seriously when they were around Singh and Pinnock.

"Not bad, boys," Ashton said. He clapped his hands on Luke and Michael's shoulders and squeezed. "We're getting better."

"Yeah, but we need 'tactical training,'" Calum said, making a weird voice as he said the last words.

"It's probably cause you tripped," Luke said, laughing.

"Nah, cause you don't know how to fight," Calum snapped back.

"Really?" Luke lunged at Calum and sent them both tumbling to the ground. Luke put Calum in a head lock.

"I give, I give," Calum said.

Michael was the first in the door. He was on one of the top bunks in the blink of an eye. "Whatever it is, we should get it over with. I've had enough of dingy rooms and training."

Ashton sat on the bottom bunk across from Michael, next to Calum. "Got that right. You heard that we're gonna get to go to Spain and Italy, right?"

Luke leaned on the wall. "Always wanted to go to Italy."

They spent the next few hours until dinner talking and laughing. They waited until the bell sounded for dinner to fall silent, but they still smiled.

 

~

 

Pete sat on a sleeping bag, leaning against the wall. A plate of plain food balanced on his knee. A man sat a few feet away, wearing clothes he was sure weren't his. They were too tight on the man's wide shoulders. Pete hadn't even bothered to get his name.

"You know," the man said, his voice deep and smooth, "I had a brother."

The man reminded Pete of Dwayne in the worst way. The way he looked, the way he talked. It was like Dwayne was haunting Pete for letting him die. "What was his name?"

"Dwayne Henry."

Pete set his food on the floor and buried his head in his hands. "Really?" he asked, his voice cracked.

"You brought me closure. I have to thank you for that."

"Is that why you're my bodyguard?"

"That was a coincidence."

"What's your name?"

"Daniel."

There was a moment of silence before Pete's head shot up. "While I was away, I learned to trust my instincts. And my instincts say to run."

Daniel nodded. "Time to go underground." He stood and pulled Pete up with him, his hands strong. "This way."

"What, you already had a plan for this?"

"Yes."

"They weaved through the crowd of people. People of all ages sat in their old clothes, eating plain pasta and talking quietly. No one paid Pete and Daniel any attention.

"Down!" Pete said. He and Danial dropped immediately to their seats in a group of startled Italians. "Scusa," Pete said. "Possiamo stare qui?"

Half of the people in the room watched as two women in full body leather walked past. Pete kept his eyes down, sure they would recognize him. Daniel's eyes followed them. "They aren't very good at blending in, are they?" Someone said something in Italian. "What was that?"

"She said that can't be comfortable," Pete translated.

"Go!"

Daniel and Pete stood again and made their way out of the building without any more interruptions. Daniel led the way down a back alley and pulled up a grate from the ground.

"You literally meant underground," Pete observed, his voice monotone.

"Just go," Daniel said.

Pete dropped down to the ground, landing with a light splash. Daniel followed and tried to put the grate back in place. "Allow me," Pete said. The grate moved on his own its own back to his place.

Daniel simply nodded and led the way again. They moved slowly through the darkness and past pipes that opened from the wall. The light filtered through occasional grates above them.

"Here we are," Daniel said. He made his way up a slimy wooden ladder that was balanced on the wall and through yet another grate, this one opening to darkness. Pete followed, shutting his eyes at the sudden brightness as Daniel turned on the lights.

"Give me some warning, man." Pete took off his sunglasses and rubbed his eyes. "Sensitive eyes."

"Sorry."

Pete eased his eyes open and looked around. If he ignored the terrible smell and the warm steam drifting up from the grate, it was an entirely livable place, if kind of dull. He appreciated the dark brown walls and the dark covers on the small bed. The floor was the same dark concrete as the walls, but a large red rug sat in the center of the floor. "I won't be using that dresser much."

Daniel pulled open a drawer and picked up a shirt. "Your wardrobe has been taken care of. And this." Daniel handed him a pile of cash. "Each guard for each of you seven boys has a backup plan like this in case of the Institution's interference."

"Is there any way to communicate with the others?"

"Why?"

"I want to warn them."

Daniel shook his head. "I'll take care of that. You aren't allowed to speak to the others. You know that."

"Do I have to stay down here, then? I'm not allowed to leave?"

"It's for your safety."

Pete smirked and sat on the bed. "From one prison to another."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!"


	3. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning! Self harm. This one gets pretty heavy.

Harry sat in his room, on his too comfortable bed in his too comfortable house, tapping away at the laptop he had in front of him. He looked at the news articles flashing across the screen.  _Four boys returned home._ The news articles were country specific. There was one for Niall in Ireland, one for Josue in Spain, and one mourning the death of Dwayne in Serbia. There was nothing about Peter, which was pretty suspicious, but Harry was more concerned with the articles about Louis. _  
_

_Louis Tomlinson, 24, of Doncaster returned to his family after two weeks' absence. Little is known about his mysterious disappearance, which occurred on 23rd January. No details have been given regarding what he and his five companions experienced, and the perpetrators have not been found. Guard detail has been placed on each boy._

There was nothing else to say. The article was fairly short, and most of it was quotes from his family and the Finnish police. There was nothing for Louis to say.

Even reading Louis' words would have been comforting, but Harry had no such luck. Louis had said he had chosen  _him_ , but it was hard to make good on that choice when they weren't allowed to see or speak to each other. 

Harry was sure that he would never find anyone he could connect with, no one that he could talk to. He wondered if Louis had decided on Stan, or if he would stay alone, too.

"Harry," his mother called. "Come down for lunch."

Harry looked one last time at the photo of Louis that headed the article. The fringe, the scruff, the collarbones peeking over the gray jumper.  He closed the laptop and stood, lacking the energy to make himself look like he wasn't about to pass out. He hadn't slept in weeks, not since he got on that plane and left Louis behind. They had flown to the same country, only hours away from each other, but they were never going to be any farther apart.

Harry walked slowly down the stairs, his steps falling heavy. He wasn't hungry, anyway, even though he knew his mom had made his favorite lunch. There was too much coddling.

Instead of turning into the kitchen, he slipped on his shoes and left the house, the cool March air chilling his skin. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The door opened behind him, and his system went into overdrive. His nerves buzzed. 

"What are you doing outside?" Jane Smith asked.

"I needed some air." He didn't entirely trust his bodyguard yet. The police should have known he would be uncomfortable with a strange woman supposedly guarding him.

"You can't just walk off like that."

"I can do what I want."

"No you can't. It's not safe."

He turned, his eyes snapping open. "Do you really think that you could protect me better than I could protect myself?"

She shook her head. "Maybe not, but keep this in mind. If someone comes after you, and I don't know about it, then I can't warn the others. Then they wouldn't be able to get your friends to safety."

Harry sighed and crouched down, falling to his seat. The cold concrete of the walkway froze him, but it was no worse than how he felt emotionally. He brushed his hair out of his face, his fingers catching on the knots. 

"Go inside. Eat some food. Your mother is waiting."

He lay against the pavement. "I'm good where I am, thanks."

"I'm not good with that. You're in the open." When Harry didn't move, Jane Smith lifted him effortlessly over her shoulder.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. 

She opened the door and dropped him to his feet, standing between him and the door. "If you insist on laying on the ground, at least do it in your room, or the living room, or anywhere except outside."

He turned angrily and stomped up the stairs. He didn't care if he sounded like a child. He was tired and too comfortable and lonely without Louis. He slammed his door shut, anger and desperation and hopelessness bubbling up inside of him. He was still in a prison, but this one didn't feel like home. He had felt at home with Louis.

He grabbed the edge of his bed sheets and tore them off, ripping them off of where his mother had carefully tucked them. The duvet flew across the room and hit his dresser, knocking things off. An antique snow globe crashed to the floor, pieces of glass shattering across the floor. Water and fake snow soaked into the carpet.

That's when he snapped. He took a shard of glass and held it to his wrist. He could do it. He could do it and make it seem like he hadn't done it. His mom and sister never had to know. He could give himself the scar he deserved, and take it away when his family looked. But that wouldn't be satisfying. He kind of hated that he could make it seem like he was never hurting.

So he took the glass and sliced through his hair, the jagged edge pulling at his roots. It was painful, but he liked that. It grounded him, made him feel like he was finally somewhere instead of just floating alone. And if he nicked his finger while cutting his hair, if the blood dripped down his arm and onto the carpet below him, if the red mixed with the clear water of the snow globe, that was fine. He didn't stop cutting until a pile of hair sat on his lap and on the floor. He was sure it looked terrible, but he couldn't care less. He would deal with it later, or he wouldn't.

He searched for his laptop and found it buried under his covers on the floor and opened it. He didn't know why he did. What could he expect other than reading the same stupid articles, looking at the same stupid picture of Louis. Just that one picture.

He had been in that hell hole for a month and a half. The first month, he had barely eaten and slept too much. He had been sick and weak and drained of blood almost constantly. He had seen the same four faces, until Louis came.

And Louis had made things so much better and so much worse. Louis had brought light and strength, and worry and heartache. Louis had brought pain and anger and sadness. But all Harry wanted was to feel whole again. He felt so alone, so empty, sitting there on the floor in his room, in a tangle of covers, with a broken snow globe and a pile of hair at his feet.

He remembered where he had been cut by those God forsaken birds that had almost killed all of them. He remembered.

He pulled up his shirt and took the piece of glass in his hand once again. He gripped it so tight that it cut his hand, blood dripping to his jeans. And he pressed the glass to his skin until it cut through, the dull edge ripping, blood pouring out. He lifted the glass and found another place, and cut there, too. He sliced into his skin seven times- once for each of them that had escaped that place.

But they hadn't escaped, had they?

The glass fell to the floor, not making a sound. He scooted back to lean against the door. The blood from his stomach soaked his shirt and his pants and his sheets and the floor. He felt light headed, floating once again. But this time, as he lay on his back on the floor, he could imagine he was back in that room. He could imagine Louis watching over him. He could imagine, maybe, going back and changing something,  _anything,_ to make the end different.

 

~

 

Liam lay on the couch, staring at the television. His arm hung down off the side, his knuckles brushing the carpet. This was the second time he had marathoned the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies in the past month.

"Anthony?" Liam asked.

The man sitting on the chair looked up from his book. It was  _Animal Farm,_ and he had borrowed it from the bottom of Liam's bookshelf, where Liam kept all the books he had to buy and had read only once for school. "Yes?" The man had dark, closely cropped hair, a pointed nose, and crooked teeth. Anthony Wheeler had been assigned as Liam's bodyguard.  _  
_

"Are there any good movies in the theater? I'm getting tired of the same movies."

Anthony fell silent as he scrolled through his phone. "A few." He named off five movies and their summaries and looked at Liam expectantly.

"Can we go see that second one, what was it,  _Fire Storm_?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. You haven't gone out at all this month."

Liam sat up, one leg tucked under him and a smile wide on his face. "Thank you, thank you!" He jumped up and put his shoes on. "I'm going to get popcorn!" He felt as excited as a child at Christmas.

Anthony stood silently, his black coat on and ready. Liam tried to ignore the butt of a gun just peeking out from under the coat. He instead focused on the fondness that he could just barely see on Anthony's face.

"Ready!" he said after grabbing his wallet and his keys.

Anthony led him outside to a black Mercedes, which he explained was the only vehicle Liam was authorized to be in. It had dark tinted windows in the back and slick leather seats. Anthony opened the door. "I'm the only one allowed to open this door."

Liam climbed in the back, too excited to care about how strange this all was. The strangeness of it all was a shadow in the back of his mind, though he acknowledged how weird it was that he was this excited to go to the cinema.

Anthony sat in the driver's seat and turned on the car, which barely made a sound. This was by far the nicest car Liam had ever been in. The vehicle rode smoothly along the road while Liam stared silently out the window, realizing how much he had missed these boring houses, these winding roads. A small smile found its way onto his face.

It disappeared soon after, though. Zayn had come to visit once, and he and Liam had sat on those swings in that park. That was where they had kissed for the first time, and where they would never kiss again.

"Anything wrong?" Anthony asked.

Liam looked to see Anthony watching him through the rear view mirror, his eyebrows drawn together. "Nothing," Liam said. He forced a smile. "I'm aces!"

He never said that, but Anthony couldn't know that. The bodyguard's eyes moved to the road, and they once again fell silent.

The film was great, and the popcorn was great, and Liam forgot everything for just a while, living through Lana's adventures with her deputy Dean as they tracked down a serial arsonist. He lived through Dean finding love with the awkward secretary in the trench coat, and through Lana's intelligence and diligence during the investigation. He lived through the tragically inaccurate explosions.

And then Anthony drove Liam back through the winding streets, and Liam saw where he and Zayn had walked at two in the morning, the streetlights drowning out the stars. He saw where he had stood when he asked that girl Sophia on a date, and where she had turned him down. He saw some of his old friend's houses. Friends he hadn't talked to in months, since before he disappeared. Friends who had deleted him off of their Facebooks and who hadn't bothered to ask how he was.

When he got back home, he lay down on his side in his bed and stared at the screen of his phone. It sat just inches away, displaying Zayn's contact information. It would be so easy to call him right now.

And he did. He pressed the little green icon and held the phone to his ear, biting his lip as it rang. His heart nearly stopped when he heard one simple word.

"Liam?"

He squinted his eyes shut, but the tears came anyway. His breath hitched.

"Liam, are you there?"

Liam nodded, though Zayn couldn't see him. "How are you?"

There were tears in Zayn's voice, too. "I've been better."

"What's wrong?"

"Everything, pretty much. It's like I forgot how to live normally."

"I'd hardly count this as  _normal_."

"I mean, I forgot how to live with my family. They're acting really weird, you know, celebrating that I'm home but sad that my brother died."

Right. Zayn's brother. "But how are  _you_?"

"Kind of depressed, actually. I haven't gotten over all those people I-"

"Don't worry about them. You did what you had to." Liam had killed people, too. And yeah, it hurt, but he was trying to move past it. He told Zayn as much.

"But I betrayed you."

"I've forgiven you, and so have the others. It's in the past."

Zayn's next words were a whisper. "But it's  _my_ past, and I have to live with the fact that what I did killed Dwayne and put you in harm's way."

"God, I wish I was there with you right now. Because I've forgiven you, but you haven't forgiven yourself, and you don't need me to talk to you so much as you need me to be with you."

Zayn was silent for a moment. "I don't know if we'll see each other again."

 _Me either_. "I'm sure we will. But for now, just know that I love you so much it hurts."

"I loved you first, you know."

"I know."

They talked for hours, long past midnight and into the morning. Liam finally fell asleep as the sun came up, the phone balanced on his ear and Zayn's breathing echoing in his head.


	4. RED

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story is starting to pick up here. Let me tell you, I had no idea this was going to happen. When I write, it just kind of happens. Seriously, I had plans.

Jane Smith walked up to Harry's door, sure that he had done something stupid. She was expecting to find his window open and him gone, which was why she had put a small tracker in each of his left shoes. She wasn't expecting to smell something sickly sweet growing stronger as she neared the door at the end of the hall. She picked up her pace and knocked on the door. "Harry?" she called. He didn't answer, and the smell crowded her nose. She checked her phone to check the tracker, which said he was inside the room. There was also a notification from Matias Castro, Josue's bodyguard. The message was simple. "RED."

"Harry, open the door." She pushed on the door. It budged just a bit before stopping. Through the crack, she saw his sheets on the floor. "Screw this," she muttered.

Jane sped down the stairs and out the door, positioning herself just below Harry's window. She took a step back before launching herself up the side of the house, using a trash can as leverage. Her hands gripped tight to the window sill, and she pulled herself up and peeked in the window.

There were the sheets thrown around the room. The dresser was bare, and below it was scattered books, a lamp, and a broken snow globe. And there was Harry, laying on the floor, blocking the door, in a dry puddle of his own blood.

She took a deep breath, her arms shaking. She had to stay calm. She dropped to the ground lightly, landing in a crouch. She rushed back up to Harry's door and knelt beside the door. She stuffed her fingers under the door, felt Harry's prone body, and pushed. It took her much longer than she would have liked, but finally she moved him enough to squeeze through the crack in the door.

 _RED_.

She scooped Harry up, cradling his unnecessarily long body in her arms, and carried him right out of the house. She lay him in the back of the black car and sped away.

She set the phone in the port on the dash and called Matias. He answered on the third ring. "Smith," he said.

"What's the emergency? Why do they have to go underground?"

"Institution agents scoping the area. I think they're checking our defenses."

"I can't take him underground yet."

"Why?"

Jane shook her head and checked the back of the car. Harry still lay unconscious. "I have to take Harry to the hospital. He hurt himself."

Her phone beeped once, and she pressed a button to let Eleanor Calder in on the call. "Does the alert have to do with whatever smelled funny?"

"You smelled it to? Like rotten strawberries?"

"Yeah. It took away Louis' abilities."

"I didn't smell anything," Matias said.

"More reason to go underground," Eleanor said. "Louis wants to know how Harry is."

Jane Smith wondered what to say to that. Was it better to tell the truth? "He's-"

She was cut off as the car flew sideways along the road, slamming into a tree. The windows shattered from the impact, scratching and cutting at her skin, the door bent inward and crushed her arm to her side.

"Jane!" Eleanor cried. "What happened?"

"I don't..."

She felt suddenly heavy, like her entire body weighed a hundred pounds more than it had just a second ago. Her phone was crushed under the invisible weight, cutting off Matias and Eleanor's frantic words. She managed to turn her head and saw Harry now had blood spilling from an open wound on his face, and one of his legs bent the wrong way. And someone was opening the door, pulling him out of the car. At first she thought it was someone here to help, until the young man lifted Harry onto his shoulders and walked away. 

Jane struggled to move her arm to the gun on her hip. She lay the gun on the passenger seat, turning the barrel in the man's direction. She pulled the trigger, but the bullet slipped from the barrel and tunneled its way into the seat itself.

Then the weight became worse, unbearable.

Then nothing.

 

~

 

Louis sat anxiously at the table as Eleanor talked on the phone, his dinner abandoned. She had shouted too loudly to mean anything good, and now she talked frantically in Spanish, the unfamiliar words blurring together. And the smell of rotten strawberries stuck in his nose, and his senses were dulled again. None of this made sense, though his life recently had made very little sense.

"What's going on?" his sister Phoebe asked from the doorway.

"Don't worry about it," Louis said, smiling. He was such a hypocrite. He was worrying plenty.

"Loulou, she's scaring me."

Louis reached out his hands, and Phoebe took them, coming close to him. He looked her in the eyes. "Everything's going to be fine."

Eleanor hung up the phone. "Why don't you go back to your room." Phrased like a question, said like a command.

Louis nodded at Phoebe, who scampered off. "What happened?"

"We don't know. Jane's phone went dead."

"Jane was the one with Harry?"

Eleanor nodded. "I have to get you underground."

"Where's Harry?"

"My job is to worry about you, not him."

Louis stood. He was just her height, so there wasn't much in intimidation, but maybe the look in his eyes would make her understand. "I. Need. To. Know."

Eleanor sighed. "I'll get you underground, then find out. Agreed?"

"Fine."

"Pack a bag."

Louis quickly rounded the corner into the hall. On his way, he passed Phoebe's room. She was the only one of his siblings home. She followed him into his room and watched silently as he started packing.

"Where are you going?"

Louis turned, once again taking her hands in his, falling into a crouch. "I'm going on vacation."

"You weren't on vacation last time."

"This time I am. I promise I'll be back."

Phoebe surged forward, holding Louis tighter than he would have thought possible. He hugged her back, softly, and rubbed her back. "I'll miss you," she said.

"I'll miss you, too."

She pulled away and left the room for a moment and came back holding a tiny book, no bigger than the palm of her hand. It was old and torn and taped together, and told a short story about a duckling that got lost on a walk before dinner. "Take this with you," she said, holding her arm out straight.

He took the book in his hand, holding it tight to his chest. "Thank you." He kissed her forehead and went back to packing, making sure to put the book right in the outside pocket where he could get to it easily. He passed Phoebe on his way out of the room and patted her head. She followed closely, holding onto his shirt.

Eleanor stood when Louis entered the room. "Let's move."

Phoebe let go of Louis' shirt. "Goodbye," she muttered.

"I'll be seeing you," he replied.

He left without a backward glance and got in the car through the door Eleanor Calder opened for him. The car was clean and new, with a leather smell. "Where are we going?" Louis asked when Eleanor, too, got in the car.

"That's classified."

"I'm going there, and who knows how long I'll be there."

"You'll find out, then."

The car bounced along the badly paved road, past the houses of Louis' friends from school, his football mates, and Stan. There was the football field, empty of people, though there should be plenty. It was getting warmer slowly and surely, and right now would be the perfect time to practice. Maybe if the Institution hadn't taken him, he would be there right now, with his mates and with Stan.

They drove into the small shopping center of the town, where two roads intersected and were lined with stores. Eleanor drove down an alley Louis had never given any thought to and into a single underground parking space. Eleanor ran around the car to open the door for Louis and led him through a grimy metal door. Behind the door, though, was surprisingly homey.

The bed was small but looked comfortable enough. A wooden wardrobe sat near the bed next to a desk. The bedside table sported a lamp, the floor was covered with soft rugs, and the walls were painted a royal blue. A door across from where Louis stood led to a decent sized bathroom with a double shower.

"The door locks from the inside," Eleanor said. "No one knows you're here except you and me."

"How long am I here, then?"

"Until the Institution stops looking for you."

"So, never." Eleanor stayed silent. "Can you go find out about Harry now?"

Eleanor nodded and walked out the door, leaving Louis to lock the door and sit on the bed. It really was comfortable. He lay across the bed, his legs hanging off the side.

Still he felt the place where the bird's wing had sliced his neck. He felt the place on his arm where one of those women had cut him. He felt every scar he should have, and every scar he had. But the scars he had no one could see.

He had seven scars. One for each of the boys who had escaped, one for Dwayne, even though he hadn't known him. He had a scar for each goodbye, and the biggest scar was by far the one that Harry had left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Leave kudos or comments if you like it so far!


	5. Ballyeamon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lullaby is Ballyeamon's Cradle Song, which I totally just googled.

The road was dark and the air was cold. Eleanor barely noticed the glint of the dark car on the side of the road.

She pulled off of the road and down the small ditch. Sure enough, the car was one of theirs. She got out and went closer.

The driver's side was smashed against a tree, all the glass shattered. One of the doors hung open to reveal an empty back seat. The most gruesome part, though, was Jane Smith. What was left of her still sat buckled behind the steering wheel, but gore was splattered across the interior, as if she had been crushed. The smell of blood wafted through the air, and Eleanor covered her mouth and nose to keep from gagging.

She pulled out her phone and took pictures of the car and the body, figuring that QA would like to see it before the police got involved. As soon as she was done, she turned away and called Matias.

"Calder," he answered.

She shook her head, trying to find words. "Jane Smith is dead and Harry is missing. Have the others gone underground?"

"Yes. They all acknowledged the alert."

"Good."

"Wait. Did you go looking for Smith?"

"I went looking for Harry. Louis is hung up on him."

"Get out of there. Wherever you are, it's not safe."

"I think this is the only place the Institution won't look."

"Call QA. They'll want to know what you saw."

"I'll have more trouble letting Louis know."

Eleanor hung up and looked back at Jane's car, glad she could neither see or smell the body. She rubbed her face.

Then she saw the footprints.

They were light. Too shallow to be anyone over about sixty pounds, but there was only one. It made no sense. These footprints weren't Harry's, but no one that light could carry him. And the shoe size had to be at least a twelve. She took a picture of the footprints and sent all of the pictures from the night to QA before following the prints.

 

~

 

Eleanor stopped at the end of the trail, right next to a road nearly a mile from the crash. Her phone lit up ten times over the course of the trek. Messages from QA and one from each of the others, who QA must have informed. She ignored them all.

She just wished she had more to bring back, like a type of car, or a name, or even a message that Harry Styles was still alive. Instead, she had nothing but bad news.

She turned and ran back to her car and sped away as fast as she could. Some poor sap was going to see the wreck tomorrow morning and call the police. And the police would have even less of an answer for this than she had.

By the time she got back to the bunker, it was nearly sunrise. She knocked on the door. "Louis, open up. It's me."

Louis opened the door in far less time than should be possible. He stood there in gray sweatpants and an over sized red jumper, his feet bare and his hair disheveled. The glasses he wore didn't quite mask the dark circles under his eyes. She hadn't realized how attractive he was. She shook her head to clear it and pushed into the room.

"Sorry to wake you," she said as Louis closed and locked the door.

"Did you find Harry?" Louis asked, his face desperate.

She swallowed, hoping Louis didn't see through her lies. "I got in touch with his guard. He's fine, he went underground."

Louis breathed a sigh of relief and fell onto the bed, releasing a tense laugh. "Thank God."

"Now I need you to stay here. After the alert, I have to go."

"Isn't your job to stay with me and protect me?"

"In order to protect you, I need to know what's happening. I'll be back no later than tomorrow morning." With that, she left Louis propped up on one elbow on his bed, a look of confusion plastered on his face.

 

~

 

When Harry opened his eyes he was confused. The last thing he remembered was being on the floor in his room. He remembered hurting himself. He remembered cold.

Now he was too warm, and the room bumped and rocked around him. The walls were black and far too close to him. And there was a person he didn't recognize sitting next to him. It was a boy with a wide face and long, wavy hair. This guy looked like the epitome of surfer. "Whuh?" Harry said. He tried to reach up and rub his eyes, only to find that his arms were strapped down. A shock of adrenaline rushed through him, and he pulled at the restraints with no luck. "Who are you?"

"Oh, he's awake. Good."

He knew that voice. It had to belong to one of the women from that month of hell. It was the one Pete and Josue had said was named Jade.

"Did you give him the suppressant?" Jade asked from beyond his vision.

The room continued to rock around him. His body felt light, and everything hurt. He willed his body to heal, but it refused. Surfer nodded his head but stayed silent.

"Welcome back, Harry," she said. "Glad you could join us."

"What do you want?" Harry asked. His throat burned with thirst.

"Four of your fellow bravos managed to escape. It's unfortunate, don't you think?"

"What do you want?" It was a van. It had to be. 

Jade laughed. "It doesn't matter, does it? We're here, anyway."

The van rolled to a stop and Jade got out to open the back door. She stood ready with a gun in her hand as the surfer guy blindfolded Harry, then unstrapped his arms and bound them behind him. Harry was pushed out of the van and tripped, falling to one knee on the ground.

"Get up," Jade hissed, pressing the gun to Harry's head.

Harry stood and was led along what must have been a car park, judging from the hard ground and the wind. He limped heavily on his right leg, but Jade pushed him unrelentingly forward. Then there came the door that creaked way too loudly, and the only thought Harry had was that he hoped Louis had gotten away. This place would be too loud for him.

Then Harry was forced to his knees.

"Take off the blindfolds," and unfamiliar woman's voice said.

The blindfold was ripped off, and Harry took in the sight of the woman standing before him.

Her skin was tan and her hair long and wavy. She wore a pencil skirt and a white blouse, and if he didn't know any better, he would have thought she would be nice. But no one who did this could be nice.

Harry turned his head and nearly cried in relief when he saw that it was Niall and Liam knelt beside him.

"Welcome, boys," the woman said, her voice thick and accented. "Sorry for the rough treatment. I was sure you wouldn't have come otherwise."

"Who are you?" Liam asked. "What do you want with us?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She opened her arms wide. "I'm from the Australian branch of the Institution. And Harry, I am sorry about the car accident. I'll discuss it with Ashton later. Now, if we unbind you, will you behave?"

Harry had no idea what she was talking about when she mentioned a car accident, but he sure as hell wouldn't 'behave.' But he nodded anyway, as did Niall and Liam, and then they were standing shoulder to shoulder, looking this woman in the eye.

"My name is Charlotte Singh, and these are my volunteers." The surfer was Ashton, the one who looked like her was Calum, the pale one with the ratty hair was Michael, and Luke stood apart from the rest, his head hung low. "Believe it or not, boys, these four volunteered for the Institution's experiments. However, we still have more tests to run. We would like to isolate the factors in your DNA that cause your changes in abilities."

Harry's eyes darted to Liam, who nodded. The three of them lashed out at the so called "volunteers" behind them, who dropped to the ground. Harry only got in one punch on Jade before he felt yet another gun pressed to his head. He raised his hands and turned to look Singh in the face.

"You're lucky the Chairman wants you alive. On your knees. All of you." Once again, three boys  knelt on the ground. "I thought better of you."

"Leave us alone," Harry growled. 

"No can do. Take them."

All three boys were forced to their feet. Harry spat in Singh's face. The woman wiped her face calmly. "I'll be seeing you."

They were thrown into what seemed to be a storage locker, with a loud metal door and an unforgiving floor that knocked the wind from Harry's lungs. He groaned as the cuts on his stomach tore open again.

"You okay?" Niall asked through the pitch darkness.

"My head, stomach, and leg all hurt," Harry replied. He rolled to his back and stared into the darkness. "Any way you could do that whole healing thing?"

"No, I can't do anything."

"I was eating dinner," Liam said. "In my room, on the phone with Zayn."

"We're not supposed to talk to each other," Niall said. Harry just squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he had had the means to talk to Louis.

"It doesn't matter now, does it? But I smelled something sweet, and then suddenly I was outside strapped in a van, like in a blink. It was that one, Michael. He has super speed or something. I don't know."

"I was eating dinner with my brother and watching rugby, and then he just got up and bolted. He gave me this look like I was the devil. And when he came back, he was holding my bodyguard's gun and standing next to that one with the black hair."

"Calum," Liam put in.

"Yeah. Calum." Niall fell silent for a moment. "Greg actually helped Calum put me in that van. Calum can, like control people's minds like Zayn. What about you, Harry?"

Harry lay in silence for a while before speaking. "I nearly killed myself last night. I don't remember anything."

They fell silent. Why did it have to be them? Maybe Harry hoped that Louis was there with him, to lay with him and comfort him. And maybe he hated himself all the more for wishing this on Louis.

"Are you okay?" Liam asked gently.

"I haven't been okay since December."

And it was true. That day in December, the last day of the year, he had almost made it to the party he had been looking forward to for months. He had had a block more to walk. One block, and he would have been safe.

Silence deafened him, and in spite of everything, Niall started singing. It was a tune Harry couldn't name, but it calmed him. A tear fell down his cheek.

"Rest tired eyes a while,  
Sweet is thy baby’s smile.  
Angels are guarding and they watch o’er thee.  
  
"Sleep, sleep,  _grah mo chree._  
Here on you mamma’s knee.  
Angels are guarding  
And they watch o’er thee.  
  
"The birdeens sing a fluting song.  
They sing to thee the whole day long.  
Wee fairies dance o’er hill and dale  
For very love of thee.  
  
"Dream, Dream,  _grah mo chree._  
Here on your Mamma’s knee.  
Angels are guarding and they watch o’er thee.  
As you sleep may Angels watch over  
And may they guard o’er thee.  
  
"The primrose in the sheltered nook.  
The crystal stream the babbling brook.  
All these things God’s hands have made  
For very love of thee.  
  
"Twilight and shadows fall.  
Peace to His children all.  
Angels are guarding and they watch o’er thee  
As you sleep.  
May Angels watch over and May the guard o’er thee."


	6. Conspiracy

"Luke..." Ashton began as soon as the four boys had escaped the women's earshot.

"I don't want to talk about it," Luke said. He wrapped his arms around himself. He pulled the sleeves of his shirt down to cover his hands. Ashton could see him shaking.

"What happened?" Ashton put his hands on Luke's shoulders and stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't," Luke said, pushing Ashton away.

"Fine," Ashton said. He shifted the gravity around Luke and made the younger boy slam to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Calum hissed.

"Luke, pull up your sleeves," Ashton commanded. Luke didn't move, so Ashton knelt in front of him. "You went after Josue, didn't you? What did he do?"

"Nothing."

Ashton grabbed Luke's left arm, and Luke hissed in pain. Ashton pulled up the sleeve and sat back in shock.

Luke's wrist and halfway up his forearm was gray and metallic. There was a handprint melted into the metal, and drops of metal had dripped down and hardened to the skin of Luke's wrist. "What. Did. He. Do," Ashton growled, angry now.

Luke closed his eyes. "He melted my arm, and I can't turn it back."

Ashton put a hand over his mouth and sat in silence. He heard Michael mutter something along the lines of "What the fuck." Calum asked if Pinnock and Singh knew about it, and Luke nodded.

Ashton stood, his hands shaking as he helped Luke stand. Luke pulled the sleeve of his shirt down. "It hurts?" Ashton asked, already sure of the answer.

"A lot, yeah."

Leigh came around the corner then, her eyes flicking over the boys. She had most definitely heard them talking, but she said nothing about it. Her eyes fell to Luke. "Come with me," she said.

Luke followed her, and Ashton trailed behind them. He motioned for Calum and Michael to go back to their temporary room, which had been set up in one of the storage lockers. He squeezed Luke's shoulder to let him know he was right there.

Leigh led them into yet another storage locker, this one fitted with medical equipment and a stretcher. Leigh turned, not even regarding Ashton. "Luke, lay down. We may have a way to fix your arm."

Luke looked at Ashton, his eyes filled with apprehension and pain. Ashton nodded, and Luke lay down, his eyes trained on the ceiling. Leigh injected what was most likely a suppressant. And after a second of silence, Luke let out a ear shattering shriek. Ashton watched in horror as Luke's arm turned back to normal. Or, as normal as it could turn when there was a hand shaped spot of exposed flesh and drops of blood and skin stuck where they shouldn't. Blood started to pour out of Luke's arm, staining the table. Leigh quickly tied a strip of cloth around Luke's arm and cut off the circulation. Luke fell silent for long enough for Leigh to cover his arm with some type of ointment and wrap it.

Leigh turned to Ashton. "We need to keep him on constant suppressant and give his arm time to heal. He'll be out of commission for a few weeks."

Ashton nodded, and within minutes, they had wheeled Luke back to their room. Luke's head bobbed and lolled on the stretcher. Calum and Michael said nothing until Pinnock disappeared out the door.

"What the hell?" Michael hissed.

"Pinnock gave him a suppressant and his arm went back to normal."

"Normal, but with a hand print melted into it," Calum said.

Ashton crinkled his nose in disgust. "It was pretty nasty, actually." He sat on the edge of his bed and stared at Luke, who looked oddly peaceful considering the situation. This kid was like a brother to Ashton, and there was nothing he wanted more than to protect his brothers.

"Remind me why we're doing this again," Michael said, once again hopping onto the top bunk.

"Which part?" Calum asked.

"Why are we trying to get them? Why can't we just let them go?"

Ashton rubbed his hands over his face and pressed them together. "The Chairman wants to find out why we all can do different things."

"What if it doesn't work?"

Calum leaned back against the back wall of the storage unit. "Well, if the Institution keeps telling us to kill people, I'm out."

"I think I went overboard getting Harry," Ashton said. "I think I killed her."

Silence fell. Ashton kept his eyes trained on Luke. "I'm gonna get Josue," Calum said. "I'm gonna make him reverse what he did."

Michael shook his head. "I don't think it works like that."

"Then what do we do?"

"We take down the Institution," Ashton said.

"Why?"

"If they won't let the bravos go, they won't let us go."

"But we volunteered," Michael said.

"The Chairman is ruthless, and Singh follows everything he says."

Calum shook his head. "But I can't kill my aunt."

"You won't have to," Pinnock said, leaning against the door frame. Ashton had never seen her so relaxed or so calm.

Ashton jumped up, and Michael jumped down, and Calum pushed off the wall. Ashton stepped in front Luke, who still lay on the stretcher, his eyes closed.

"Relax, boys." Pinnock stood straight.

"How much of that did you hear?" Ashton asked.

"All of it. I never walked away. You need to be more careful if you want to convince Singh you take your so-called 'vow of silence' seriously." None of the boys answered, and Pinnock rolled her eyes. "I heard you mean to take down the Institution. We have the same goal."

Ashton narrowed his eyes. "I doubt that."

"My mother's methods were... questionable at best. They were violent and abrasive, and she made me and my girls do some terrible things under the orders of the Chairman. I don't want to make the same mistakes, which is why I pulled Luke out of that mission before he could get killed. Singh isn't too happy about that, or about the fact that I gave him the suppressant instead of sending him straight back out there." By the time she was done talking, she had taken a few steps forward and had backed Ashton close to the stretcher.

"You can back up now," Ashton said. 

"It's better that you know. Now we can work together."

"I don't think we're at that point yet," Calum said from behind Ashton.

Pinnock turned to him and moved toward him. Ashton's arm shot out and blocked her, and he ignored her glare. "You can stay there," he said.

Pinnock pursed her lips but moved back. "I admire your bravery."

"Singh wouldn't be happy if you hurt any of us," Ashton answered.

"Ah. Hiding behind Singh."

Michael stepped forward, his arms crossed in front of him and his head cocked to the side. "Who else is working with you?"

"Just the other girls."

"And there's nothing else you can do for him?" Ashton asked, nodding toward Luke.

"I can get him some painkillers for when he wakes up. He'll need them." She backed away, out of the door. "Keep your head down around Singh. Don't push your luck with my girls. And don't do anything stupid."

Ashton closed his eyes. He heard one of his boys walk to the door. "She's actually gone this time," Michael said.

Ashton reached back and lay a hand on Luke's leg, needing the concrete feeling of one of his boys. Silence engulfed the room yet again, each of the boys at a loss for words.

"I didn't sign up for this," Michael said.

"Charlotte said this was a good idea, getting involved with the Institution," Calum said. "I'm sorry I got you boys mixed up in this."

Michael shook his head. "It's not your fault. We all agreed to it."

Luke groaned and coughed. Ashton spun to face him. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"I feel like my arm is in pieces and each individual piece is on fire."

Michael reached out and grabbed Luke's right hand. "You're gonna be okay."

"When did you get there?" Luke asked. 

"Super speed, remember?"

"A little out of it, are you?" Calum laughed.

Pinnock stepped back in the room then, a bottle of pain killers and a glass of water. "You're awake."

"And you actually brought pain killers," Calum said.

"I said I would." Pinnock handed them to Ashton.

Michael propped Luke up to help him swallow the three pills he took. "Why are we talking in front of her?" Luke asked. "And why is she helping me?"

Ashton sighed. "We have a lot of explaining to do."

Pinnock turned and walked out yet again. "I'll leave you to it," she said over her shoulder. "I'll see you at breakfast."

They had less than three hours until breakfast, and Ashton had never been so tired. They helped Luke into his bed, and then they all lay down. The storage unit door stayed open to the darkness of the hall outside, and the air was still and silent. As they lay there, Ashton spoke quietly across the room and told Luke all they had found out.

There was no way this would turn out well.

 

~

 

Far away and tucked underground, Louis lay motionless in the darkness. His heightened senses had come back, and he was wide awake. He hadn't been able to sleep for the hours Eleanor had been away.

He could hear cars rushing by outside, people talking in the streets. The wind moved around the empty parking space outside his door. He was alone, and Eleanor was nowhere to be heard.

Louis slipped out of bed and pulled on his shoes, trying to stay silent despite the emptiness of the room around him. He opened the door just a crack to peek outside, and stepped out into the crisp morning air. He knew a place he could go to learn about Harry.

He didn't entirely trust Eleanor.

He made his way down the street and into an alley, using the back entrance to Mag's. Mag herself sat in the office, staring at a booklet with a pen hanging from her mouth. Her gray, stringy hair barely stayed in the loose bun atop her head, and a pair of rimless glasses sat precariously on her nose.

"Mag?" he said.

Mag jumped, placing a hand over her heart. "Don't scare me like that, boy."

Louis smiled, glad, as always, to see Mag. "Sorry. I need to use your computer."

"Don't all you kids nowadays have your own computers?" Mag huffed, gesturing at the open laptop sitting next to her.

"Thanks," Louis said, falling to his knees in front of the desk.

"What are you looking for, anyway?" Mag asked.

"I have a... friend I need to check up on."

Mag placed a hand on Louis' shoulder, and he turned to look at her. "You met a boy while you were gone," she said.

"I met six boys," he replied, trying to evade her speculation. It was no use, though. Mag had always been perceptive when it came to him, and anyone else, for that matter.

"You know what I mean."

Louis sighed and turned back to the laptop, typing "Holmes Chapel news" in the Google search bar. "Nothing gets past you, does it?"

"No. Which is why I can tell that you're a bit off."

Louis paused, the mouse hovering over a link to an online Holmes Chapel newspaper. "You would be, too, if you went through what I did."

"I haven't seen you except once since you got back. You used to come here every week with your friends."

"I don't have many of them left."

After a moment, Mag nearly whispered, "Look at what you need to."

Louis clicked the link and his heart nearly stopped. The first article said "Harry Styles Disappears Again." He hung his head and bit his lip.

Mag's soft hand moved his, and he heard a click. "Harry Styles, one of four young men who recently returned home after various lengths of time, has gone missing again," she read. Tears spilled down Louis' face as she read. "Styles' room was found in a mess and the woman tasked by the police force as his bodyguard was found dead in a car wreck near his home. Though there has yet to be a statement, there is speculation that Styles has also died." Mag's hands landed on Louis' shoulders. "I'm sorry, Louis," she said.

A sob wracked his body. She never called him by his name unless there was bad news. This was serious Mag, and serious Mag never meant anything good. "She lied," Louis said.

"Who did?"

Louis jumped up and raced out the building, slamming his way back to his hidden underground room. He was almost disappointed that Eleanor wasn't there. He wanted this rage to be fresh when he saw her. Instead, he fell to his knees just inside the door, his energy spent. And he lay on the floor, weeping. And while he lay there, he decided he wouldn't tell Eleanor that he knew. He didn't know what he would do with the secret, but he felt good having one.


	7. Mag

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mag is, of course, a made up character. I'm pretty fond of her.

The darkness was complete.

Louis had taken to leaving the lights off, preferring to listen to the near silence around him. There was a knock on the door.

Two weeks of Louis sneaking out in the early morning to eat with Mag and check to see if there was any news on Harry. Two weeks of radio silence from Eleanor Calder. 

Louis stood slowly and felt his way to the door. Without thinking, he opened it.

A hand slammed into his chest and sent him flying across the room. His back hit to edge of the bathroom door, sending him crashing to the ground with a groan.

He saw a streak of movement, no more than a blur, and rolled to the side just in time to avoid the hands grabbing him. The light was just enough to allow this person to see.

Louis grabbed a shoe and threw it at the door. The door swung shut with a bang, sending the room once again into darkness. Louis heard the person grind to a halt, and Louis knew now was his chance. He jumped up and grasped the person's shirt, registering that it was a man. The heartbeat was fast, as fast as a bird. Flighty, light, anxious. Louis threw him down and ran out the door, pulling it shut behind him.

Barefoot and cold, he pushed past the people in the streets, ignoring their angry and surprised looks. Rain beat down from the sky, soaking him almost instantly. He slipped only once and quickly regained his footing. He stepped on a broken glass bottle. The adrenaline pumped through his veins. 

He reached Mag's back door and pulled on it, finding it locked. He screwed his eyes shut, wondering at the time, hoping Mag was still here, and knocked.

Almost instantly, Mag opened the door.

"Dear boy, come in," Mag said, reaching a hand out. Louis took it and stepped in, water dripping and blood pooling on the floor. "What happened?" Mag led him to the break room and sat him in a chair, disappearing once before coming back with a handful of towels.

"I can't tell you," Louis said, his voice shaking.

Mag nodded and picked up his foot, wrapping it in a towel before standing and drying his hair for him. He kept his arms tight over his chest. "Tell me something, at least."

"A guy broke into my house," Louis said quietly. "I thought it was someone from my time... there."

"You know, my boy," she said, "I live upstairs."

"I know."

"You can stay with me."

Louis shook his head. "No. I can't put you in danger. I don't know why I even came here."

"I think I know." Louis cocked his head to the side. "Because you trust me."

"I do."

Mag leaned over and pulled him into a hug. "You, my boy, are strong. Whatever it is, I'm sure you can take care of yourself. But you don't have to."

Louis hugged her back, sure she was getting soaked. She didn't seem to care, and neither did he. "Okay."

"Okay what?"

Louis pushed back. "They took our blood. There were eight of us."

"Eight? The news said there were only six." She sat back on the floor and looked at him.

"There were eight. One, Pete, no one has heard from him since we got back. He's in Italy, anyway. The other, Dwayne, he... died."

"I'm sorry."

"I didn't know him very well."

"And they took your blood."

Louis nodded. "They took our blood and did something to it. They gave us an injection." Mag said nothing. "It did something to us. We all have... abilities that most people don't have."

"Abilities?"

"I have heightened senses. I can hear your heartbeat and see everything in ultra HD."

"And your boy?"

"The best way to put it is transformation. They work for this thing called the Institution, who has just now decided that it still wants us, so they're sending more people with abilities to come after us. That's why I'm here, and that's why I can't be here."

Mag sat quietly for a minute. "That is a lot to take in."

"I know." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. "It sounds crazy, I know. But I've been in hiding for two weeks. And my bodyguard, that woman who was here that first night, she hasn't talked to me in weeks. I haven't heard from her in weeks."

Mag's hand landed on Louis' knee. "You are not alone, and you are not crazy."

"I made a trail all the way here."

"The rain washed it away. Stay here. I'll get you some clothes." She patted his knee and stood with a groan.

Louis sat alone in the break room, his head still in his hands.

What was Harry doing? What were  _they_ doing to Harry? Where were they?

_Harry, please be okay. Please hear me._

But of course Harry couldn't. Just as Louis couldn't hear him.

Louis' foot throbbed, sharp pain shooting through his foot. He pulled his foot out of the towel and picked tiny pieces of green glass from his foot. Each piece of glass that he picked made his chest hurt more. His breath came harder and faster. Then he couldn't breathe at all. He gasped for breath, overwhelmed with all that had happened in his life. He felt light headed and drew his knees to his chest, rocking forward and back in the creaking chair. Tears poured down his face.

Mag's hands pressed to either side of Louis' face and pulled it up. Her soft eyes stared into his. "Come on, Louis. Let's get you cleaned up."

Louis stood, shaking. He could hear people talking, laughing outside. He heard their heartbeats. Normal heartbeats and one that was fast, flighty. The guy slowed only once before shooting off again, leaving people to gasp in his wake.

Mag pulled Louis up the stairs. Louis' mind was blank and his muscles wouldn't work. Mag directed Louis into the bathroom and left, claiming she still had work to do downstairs.

Louis sat on the edge of the tub and stared at the pile of clothes on the counter. The clothes were unfamiliar and old. A pair of relaxed jeans, some gray socks, and a plain red T shirt with a pocket. Louis slowly stood and undressed before stepping into the tub and turning on the shower. He let the water burn his skin. He sat on the bottom of the tub and leaned on the wall.

The past two weeks, Harry had been the only thing on his mind. Only thoughts of what they were doing to Harry.

_Harry, be okay. Tell me where you are. Tell me what they're doing._

Louis remembered Harry's heartbeat, the feeling of his hands in Louis', the smell of coconut on his skin.

Louis' sight blacked out. But it wasn't him blacking out. He was entirely conscious, but he felt things he shouldn't. He gasped as the reality of the shower hit him again.

"What the..."  The water hit him. He felt each individual drop.

 _Harry._  The smell of Harry. His skin, his heart.

The darkness came back. Louis' arm hurt, right in the crook of arm. A needle had been there, pushed too far under his skin. His wrists hurt, rubbed raw from being bound. His throat hurt, dry. His stomach growled from hunger. A voice sang quietly, a melody that Louis had heard once before when he had visited Ireland when he was seven.

Light erupted into the room and the crashing sound of a metal door being lifted. Unfamiliar women rushed into the room and grabbed Louis' arms, arms that looked suspiciously like Harry's. And there was Niall, and there was Liam.

Storage lockers, both open and closed flashed by as Louis' weak legs stumbled below him. Strong arms held him upright and dragged him down the hall. They strapped him onto a table by his wrists. "Any nausea?" a woman asked. Louis couldn't speak. His voice failed him. "Another dose," she called.

Someone handed the woman a syringe. The woman plunged the needle under his skin, the pain multiplied infinitely by Louis' heightened senses. The chemicals surged through his veins, radiating pain through his body. He screamed, fire in his blood. His muscles moved without his consent, and his body thrashed against the straps that held him down. He hit the table, his spine shaking with shock with the force of his thrashing.

As soon as it started, it was over. His body stopped moving, his body falling still, his chest heaving and his breath wheezing.

Louis crashed back to the shower, the burning water on his skin. The pain was gone.

He turned off the water, his hands shaking and clammy. He stumbled to the mirror and wiped away the condensation, making sure that he was himself. He recognized his own stubble, his dripping hair, and his desperate eyes.

For a moment, he had  _become_ Harry. He had felt what Harry felt, he had seen what Harry had seen. 

He leaned heavily on the sink, listening to drops of water splash to the cold tiles beneath his feet.

He quickly dried himself and put on the clothes Mag had left him and rushed out of the bathroom and down the stairs. Mag jumped as he swung around the corner into the break room. "I need to use your computer."

"As always, go ahead." Mag didn't look up from her work as she manually added numbers. "Maybe I should keep a second computer here for you."

"Thanks, but that's fine." Louis searched for self storage facilities and scrolled through the images that popped up, looking for orange doors. He found five, but four of them were still in business. The fifth, though, had shut down three years before. "There," he said, pointing at the screen.

Mag leaned close to the screen. "What's that?"

Louis explained what had happened in the bathroom. "I know it sounds crazy."

"Everything you've said tonight sounds crazy. Is this the storage place?"

"As far as I can tell, it is. This is the only one that I could find. It's on the coast, down by Lynton."

"What do you suggest we do?"

Louis turned and looked Mag in the eyes. "You don't have to be involved."

"I'm too emotionally invested in you."

Louis nodded. "First we have to find the other boys that are in hiding. Zayn's in Bradford. If we can find him, we can use his bodyguard's phone to contact Pete and Josue."

"Get some shoes," Mag said. "Let's get going."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos if you like the story so far!


	8. Sojourn

Zayn lay there, his breath coming fast as he stared up into Liam's eyes. His back pressed against the carpet, and he felt Liam's weight on top of him. "What are you doing?" he asked. The television still murmured in the background.

"If you want me to move, say something," Liam said. He dipped down and pressed his lips tight to Zayn's and then pulled back. Zayn pushed him off, and Liam landed on his back with a huff. "I'm sorry," Liam began.

Zayn didn't let him finish, straddling his hips. He leaned down and kissed Liam, long and slow. He closed his eyes and whispered, "Took you long enough," before he kissed him again.

His brother was upstairs, not that his brother would care. Adi had brought home plenty of girls before. This was no different.

His hands pressed into Liam's, their fingers winding together. Zayn pinned Liam's hands above his head, taking pride in the groan that Liam made.

The door swung open, and Zayn froze for just a second. "Mum and Dad are home," Adi said. "Congratulations." The door closed again.

"What was that?" Liam asked, laughing.

Zayn rolled off of Liam and wiped at his mouth. "I'm glad Adi said something."

Liam knelt in front of Zayn and put his hands on Zayn's knees. "What's wrong? You look freaked out. I'm sorry if I-"

Zayn shook his head. "No, it's just my parents... My cousin came out as gay and my dad kind of disowned him."

Liam's eyes were wide and soft. Zayn loved those eyes. "Then we don't tell them anything happened."

"Can it happen again?"

Liam grinned, just a hind of mischief showing through, and leaned forward to kiss Zayn again.

 

~

 

Zayn woke up and stared into the darkness. The room was quiet, cold, dark. The knock sounded again before the voice. "Zayn, it's me," Paul Bancroft said.

Zayn groaned and rolled over. "Why?" he asked.

"Why what?"

With another groan, Zayn stood and opened the door, wearing nothing but his boxer shorts. "Come in, then," he said sarcastically. "What do you want?"

"To do my job. It's kind of hard to protect you if you're dead."

"I was having a very good dream," Zayn said bitterly. He pulled on a pair of pajama pants.

"Here. Breakfast ended around six hours ago." 

Zayn took the bag from Paul's hands. He smelled the chips and the chicken. "Thanks," he said in monotone. He dropped the bag on his bed.

"Eat something," Paul said, his voice almost desperate.

"Not hungry." Zayn walked to the small counter in the corner and poured himself a cold mug of coffee that had been brewed two days ago. He took a sip of it and winced at the bitter, cold brew. 

Paul ran his fingers through his short hair. "I'm supposed to take care of you."

"You're supposed to be my bodyguard. My body does not currently need guarding, so you're already doing your job. Now, if you'll excuse me." Zayn lay on his bed and looked at the phone on the edge of the mattress. The time read 5:30, and the notifications bar was still empty. No calls or texts from Liam.

"I need to stay close to you from now on."

Zayn let his head fall against the wall with a bang. "Why?" he moaned, drawing out the word.

"I got a yellow."

"That means nothing to me."

Pete sat on the edge of the bed, and Zayn drew his knees in closer. "There are a few different codes we use. RED means that there is confirmed danger, to take you underground. Yellow means suspicious behavior, so I have to keep a closer eye on you."

"I hate you."

"I know." Paul stood and made his way over to the kitchen, where he emptied the coffee into the sink. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine." It had taken him a while, but he had slept fine.

"You really need to fix your sleep schedule." Paul took off his long beige trench coat and hung it over a chair.

"None of your business. Now can you be quiet now?" Zayn shifted down and covered his eyes with his arm.

"You just drank coffee. How can you sleep?"

"Coffee doesn't work. I'm exhausted."

"Get out of bed." Zayn didn't move. "Up!" he said. He grabbed Zayn and hauled him up to his feet.

"Stop!" Zayn yelled, smacking his hands away. "Stop! Go away. Leave me alone."

Paul took a step back and raised his hands. "What's wrong? You were holed up in your room for a month and now you've been sleeping for two straight weeks."

"Not much sleeping."

"Fine. You've been laying around for two straight weeks. I'm pretty sure you're depressed."

Zayn sat down on the bed and buried his face in his hands. "What about it?"

"I don't know." 

Zayn looked up for a second before he reached over and handed his phone to Paul. "0712," he said.

Paul stood still, holding the phone for a moment before he typed in the pass code. There was silence. "You called him?"

"Yes."

"Multiple times?"

"Yes." He stared at the dark carpet beneath his feet. "He hasn't answered my calls or texts since we went into hiding."

"But you were depressed before that."

"You have no idea what I have been through," Zayn said. "You have no idea why I feel this way, you can't help me, you don't know anything!" By the time he was done, he was standing only a few feet from Paul, yelling.

"Calm down-"

"You don't know!" Tears streamed down his face, his eyes burning.

Paul leaned forward and kissed Zayn.

Zayn pushed him away, sending waves of anger into Paul's mind. "What are you doing?" he screamed. Self hatred. That's what Zayn made him feel.

Zayn was so angry. So tired. And he just wanted Paul to go away.

So when Paul pulled out his gun, and Zayn didn't complain. Paul held it to his own head. Paul pulled the trigger. With a bang, Paul's brains exploded against the wall behind him. Zayn didn't complain. He took his phone from Paul's limp grasp and called Liam again, not expecting an answer. 

He pulled on a shirt and shoes and left the room into the cool spring air.

He had to cool his head. He had to get out of that room. He covered his mouth with his hand and walked around a corner, almost running into someone. "Sorry," he mumbled. He stepped around the man.

"Hey, what's your name?" the man asked. His hair was golden blonde and long and wavy. In any other circumstances, he wouldn't complain about this guy talking to him.

"Why?" Zayn kept walking, hearing the man fall into step beside him.

"My name's Ashton. Your turn."

"I have a boyfriend."

"We both know you don't."

"What?" Zayn whispered, his eyes narrowed. He turned his head just soon enough to see Ashton slam an arm into his chest and pushed him into an alley. 

"I know you. You're like me." Ashton pulled out a syringe from some place. Zayn didn't understand how that thing could fit in those skinny jeans. He tried to push back, he tried to make him feel scared or something. But this guy must have been brainwashed or he must have had really strong feelings about this, because he kept going. Zayn felt the needle puncture his neck and his abilities fade away. 

He punched Ashton in the face and then felt something crush him against the wall. Not the weight of Liam's air, not like something foreign was holding him still. His own body felt heavy against the wall, gravity pulling him sideways instead of down like it should.

"Why do you work for them?" Zayn asked.

Ashton leaned in close. "We have a plan."

Ashton flew to the side and fell to the ground with a thud, and then Zayn felt like he could breathe again. Louis stood there, his chest heaving and a brick in his hand. An old woman stood behind him, barely looking fazed.

"What are you doing here?" Zayn asked.

"I know where they are."

"What are you talking about?"

"We can't talk out here."

Zayn nodded. "Follow me."

He led the way back to the room and opened the door, not acknowledging Paul's body still on the floor. "Who is that?" Louis asked.

"That's not important," the old woman said. "I'm Mag. I'll be your getaway driver."

"Tell me what you know," Zayn demanded.

"Long story short, I somehow managed to get in Harry's head, because Harry's missing, and I saw what he saw. They have Liam and Niall, and I did some research and found out that they're in a storage facility in Lynton, and we need to find them. Can I use his phone?" Louis' words were frantic, and he pointed at Paul.

"He won't complain. Why?"

"We need to call Pete and Josue."

"Wait, is Mag your bodyguard?"

"I haven't seen my bodyguard in two weeks." Louis knelt beside Paul's body and reached for him.

"Wait," Mag said.  "Don't get your DNA on him." She knelt next to Louis and put on a pair of leather gloves from her purse. She fished around in Paul's pockets and pulled out a simple flip phone. "Here," she said, handing the phone to Louis. 

Louis gave her a confused look before he opened the phone and called the most recent number. "Yeah, no. This is Louis Tomlinson... Paul is kind of... No, he's dead... Shot himself, it looks like... That's not why I called... Can I speak to Josue? Please... Hi, Josue. I need you to ditch your bodyguard and get to Lynton, England... Yeah, see you there." He hung up.

"How did you know that was Josue?"

"The guy spoke Spanish." Louis called another number and had essentially the same conversation. When he hung up, he nodded to Zayn and Mag. "Time to go. We're meeting them in Lynton. It takes just over five hours to get to Lynton, but we'll have to wait for Josue and Pete. If they leave soon, and if they fly, we should all get there around the same time."

"How do you know that?" Zayn asked.

"I did research on the way here."

Mag stood and helped Louis stand. "We should be on our way, then. My car is down the street."

Zayn nodded. He looked at Paul's body and felt just a twinge of regret before he walked out the door behind Louis and Mag.

He couldn't use his abilities, but he was going to get Liam back.


	9. Spies

Pete opened the grate in the floor and jumped to the sewer as soon as he hung up with Louis.

"Where are you going?" Daniel asked, jumping down after Pete.

Pete looked at him, the darkness gentle enough for him to take off his glasses. "Three of the others are on their way to rescue some of the bravos in Lynton, England."

"You can't go!" Daniel said. "It's my job to keep you safe."

"Then come with me if you want. But I have done enough to hurt those guys that I need to make it up to them. Besides, Dwayne died because of those women. I won't let anyone else die." Pete knew that Dwayne would convince Daniel that this was the right move. 

Daniel sputtered for a second. "Fine! Not like I could stop you."

Pete set off again. He headed in the direction of the edge of town, where he planned to climb out and possibly hijack a plane from the Venice airport if no better options presented themselves. "You know, Daniel, I've used your phone while you were sleeping." Daniel looked offended, but Pete continued. "No one even knows I exist. I was never registered as an actual person, and no one reported me missing, so no one cares that I was found. So I don't get why I even have a bodyguard."

Daniel sighed. "Considering we're probably going to our deaths, I guess it's pretty important to tell you that I'm here more to keep track of you than protect you."

"Figured."

"We know that you boys can take care of yourselves. I'm from Quain's Association, or QA. We were created for the sole purpose of taking down the Institution. It's our job to track down every Institution base and rescue any test subjects. We keep track of you so in the future, if the Institution ever shows up with their own subjects, we can round you up and have you fight."

"So we're an army on standby."

"And clearly you all need more training."

"How many more of us are there?"

Daniel scratched his head. "In Europe, only the seven of you. Europe's tests were actually pretty terrible. There are probably a hundred more of you scattered around the world, and those are only the ones we've rescued from the Institution. We have no idea how many they have hidden." There was a pause. "Also, QA refers to you as deviants."

"That makes us sound like we're a thirteen year old gang."

Daniel laughed. "Agreed."

For someone who had just found out that his brother was murdered after years of nonstandard scientific experimentation, Daniel was surprisingly chipper. Distrust hung in the back of his mind, though he had no reason at all not to trust Daniel. 

"Do you have any plan on how to get to England?"

"I was thinking I'd steal a plane."

"I have a better idea." He pulled out his phone and typed something. "We have a plane waiting for us where we set down outside of Treviso."

Pete raised his eyebrows. "Not bad."

"Come on," Daniel said. He grabbed Pete's arm and pulled him quickly down the sewer, water splashing up around them. Pete couldn't care less.

 

~

 

Louis, Zayn, and Mag were the first to Lynton. Mag parked the car next to a seedy motel, Zayn in the back and leaning forward so his head was between Louis' and Mag's. It was dark, the moon and stars lighting the dim streets. The motel faced a diner that was lit with multicolored fluorescent lights, and Leigh sat inside across from a blonde boy none of them recognized.

"That woman there is Leigh," Louis explained, pointing. "I'm pretty sure at this point she's the ringleader."

"Who's the kid?"

The corners of Louis' mouth pulled down. "I don't know. I assume he's one of their new guys like us. Like the super fast guy who came after me."

"What are they doing there?" Zayn asked.

Mag unbuckled. "I'm going to go in and spy on them. That seems like a good idea."

Louis grabbed her arm. "Don't. It's too dangerous."

"I can take care of myself." Mag pulled herself away and left the car. Louis' eyes followed her as she jogged across the street and took a seat right behind Leigh.

"She is surprising," Zayn said.

"Yeah."

"Where did you meet her?"

"She owns a restaurant near my house." Louis held up a finger to shush Zayn and answered his phone on the second ring. "Mag?"

Leigh's voice drifted through the phone, clearly in the background. "-Your arm doing?"

"Fine," the guy across from Leigh said. Louis could see him rub his left arm over his jacket.

"You can be honest with me, Luke."

"Josue messed it up pretty bad. Still hurts."

Zayn's hand landed on Louis' shoulder. "Josue."

"Shush!" Louis hissed.

"When will I be able to go back out?" Luke asked.

"It won't be for a while now. Even after your arm heals as much as it will, I'm hoping to train you more. The other subjects have a lot more training than Josue, especially the ones from America."

Louis and Zayn looked at each other, their faces betraying their surprise. "There are more?" Louis mouthed at Zayn.

"Do you know how the others did tonight?"

"Michael let one of them escape. Ashton and Calum found the hiding places of two more, but they were already gone."

"Maybe you should send all of us together. Apparently we don't do well on our own."

"I know, I'm trying to convince Singh. You boys definitely won't be on your own when you go after the Asian branch."

"That's our first target, then?"

"I'm hoping you'll be able to convince some of your Asian counterparts to join us. Most of them aren't volunteers, so it should be easy. I want to build up our allies before going after America. They're clearly the strongest and most numerous."

Louis and Zayn jumped at a knock on the window, and Louis' head smacked into the ceiling of the car. He turned and saw Josue standing outside his window. He gestured for Josue to be quiet and get in the back next to Zayn. The door opened and closed quietly.

"Why do you care so much about how I'm doing, anyway? You're my boss, aren't you?" Luke asked.

"I'm concerned about everyone I work with. It's all about all of us working well together, and you trusting me."

"You sent me out and got my arm melted."

Josue's eyebrows shot up. "That's that guy?" he whispered.

A waitress asked if they needed anything else, and within a few minutes, Leigh and Luke were out of the diner. Mag joined the boys in the car shortly after that. She handed Louis a bag. "I got you a burger."

"No onions?"

"Of course. Which one is this?" She gestured at Josue.

"Josue," he replied, reaching out his hand.

"You can melt things, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Don't touch the upholstery."

Josue nodded, not at all taken aback. "Who exactly does the Institution have?"

Louis turned to look at Josue. "They have Liam, Harry, and Niall. Plus four other guys with abilities, but one is out of commission." Louis filled Josue in on the part of the conversation between Leigh and Luke that he had missed.

"Right. What do we do?"

"I'm thinking we wait for Peter to show up before we make any big plans," Zayn said.

They only had to wait another hour until Peter knocked on the car door with a large black man standing behind him. Louis saw Josue's uncomfortable expression but ignored it. They bought a room at the motel and sat inside together. The sun was rising by the time they stopped talking. They would sleep and rest until the next night.

Louis couldn't stop thinking of Harry all day.

 

~

 

Leigh noticed the old woman who sat behind her. She noticed the car parked across the street, one that hadn't been there for long. When she and Luke left the diner, she pulled him aside, into the shadows behind the building. They had a direct line of sight to the car.

"What are we doing?" Luke whispered.

Leigh pointed, her other hand coming to rest on his shoulder blade. "That car is extremely suspicious."

"Why?"

"You have to learn to trust your gut."

It wasn't long before the old woman got in the driver's seat of the car. Though Luke began to get restless, Leigh's eyes stayed trained on the car. It paid off.

"Look, Luke," Leigh said.

Luke stood up from where he had been sitting against the wall for the past hour. "What is it?"

Two men walked up to the car, one large and with dark skin, the other thin and white. They knocked on the windows. "That's Peter. He's the one who can control objects." The old woman got out and went to the front desk of the motel before moving the car in front of room 37. Leigh named them off as they climbed out of the car and disappeared through the door. "Louis, who has heightened senses. Zayn, who can control emotions. Josue... You know him."

Luke swallowed and nodded. "Who are the other two?"

"They must have found some friends."

"What do we do?"

Leigh made her way to the van she and Luke had taken. "You tell your people, I tell mine. We keep this quiet. I assume you know what they're here for."

Luke nodded. "They're going to try to break the other bravos out."

Leigh smirked. "Probably. If we can round them up, we can explain what we're doing. And maybe they'll go along with us."

"And if they don't?"

"We'll have to take on the Institution without them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with this!


	10. Insanity

The room was dark and the floor was cold. Harry's entire body felt numb, like tiny needles poked him everywhere. His mind, too, was tired, because whatever they were doing to him brought back his worst memories and fears.

He remembered the day the guys at school found out he was bi, and they beat him.

He remembered when, on January 1st, a car pulled in front of him while he walked back home from a party.

He remembered the first time they put a needle in his arm, and he watched the blood drain from his body.

He remembered the first time he woke up and couldn't find the energy to move.

He remembered seeing Louis, bleeding and unconscious, on the ground in the forest.

He remembered saying goodbye.

He lay on his side, the hard floor pressing uncomfortably into his shoulder, but once again he found no energy to move. He knew Niall and Liam were near him in the cramped space, he could hear them breathing.

Harry was genuinely scared, somehow more scared than ever before. He tried to remember Louis' voice, but somehow found it hard.

"Harry," Niall said.

"Yeh?"

"You think we'll get out of this one?"

Harry stayed quiet. Truth was, he doubted it. The Institution would never stop hunting them, even if they did escape. He didn't want to tell the truth, but he didn't want to lie. He was sure, though, that his silence said it all.

The door rattled open, and once again they found themselves lifted and dragged out of the room. The hallway was filled with the same orange storage lockers and stained walls. Harry let himself fall completely limp, willing the women to drop him to the floor, but they just gripped tighter. He saw Liam ahead of him, old scars now showing on his skin. Scars that Niall had healed but had somehow come back thanks to whatever these women were now doing.

And here, again, was the table where they lay Harry down. Here, again, were the straps used to bind his raw wrists. The same woman stood above him, but this time she was joined by Charlotte Singh.

"Good morning, Harry," she said.

"Screw you," he replied, his voice breathy.

"You know this is what my boys went through," she said. "As they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"That's a load of shit."

"The sooner you face your fears and learn to deal with the pain, the sooner it will be over, and the stronger you'll be."

"I doubt anyone would volunteer for this."

Charlotte Singh leaned against the table, her hands pressing into Harry's side. "They volunteered to get superhuman abilities. This was a surprise."

"So you lied to them."

"It's about time we got to why you're really here," she said. "This, of course, isn't the only reason. The Institution has another goal, other than prepping you for war." She picked up an empty syringe and pushed out all of the air. "The chairman wants abilities, as well, but he wants specific ones. Or current goal is to find why you can all do different things. And you, Harry, are of special interest to us."

"Why?" He coughed through the dryness in his throat.

"Two reasons, Mr Styles. Firstly, the Chairman wants your abilities. As soon as he heard about you, he was very excited. Secondly, you and one of our volunteers have similar abilities."

Harry's nose scrunched up. "Who?"

"Luke."

Which one was Luke? The one that had supposedly failed, right? He had stood to the side, without a bravo to show to Charlotte Singh.  "What do you mean, similar abilities?"

"You can change form, correct? He can change his form, too, but he's a little bit more limited than you. He can change his physical elements to, say, iron. That's his favorite?"

Harry had done that before, when they were being attacked by robot birds. He remembered that moment vividly, while he was hunched over Louis, trying to protect him.

"So we need more of your DNA," Charlotte Singh said.

"You could have done that for two weeks now."

"We were waiting until we had the other four bravos in custody. Unfortunately, all of them have disappeared, and Michael even came back to tell me that his target escaped. Louis, I think?"

Harry closed his eyes and sighed in relief. Louis had escaped. That was all that mattered. "Do whatever you want," he said, trying to hold back a smile. This was not the time to be smiling.

The needle pierced his skin and then left again. He knew what was coming next, though he wasn't ready. Another needle jammed under his skin, and then the pain.

The fire in his veins, pure agony coupled with his muscles moving out of his control. But instead of the fear he expected to feel, he felt anger. Anger at this woman, anger at the Institution, anger at himself. Any relief he had felt about Louis' escape ebbed away. He screamed, this time in rage instead of pain. He kept his eyes locked on Charlotte Singh. Her eyebrows shot up and she smirked. "That's good." She turned and left.

There were memories moving through his head. This time, though, they were memories that made him angry.

The first time he saw those women. That was the same day that they had taken Louis. The next time he had seen Louis was in the dark.

When the women took Zayn away.

And that day in his room when he had felt like such a prisoner, when he had trashed his room. He remembered the sound of the glass of his snow globe shattering on the floor.

Then the pain and the anger ebbed away, leaving behind numbness and hopelessness behind. 

The woman unbound his wrists and helped him sit up, just as she had done every day. She handed him a plate of food and a cup, as she had done. And she took with her all the sharp objects and left him alone, as she had done.

He left the food sitting on the table and buried his head in his hands. He had no control over his emotions, and somehow, that made this whole situation worse. 

He reached over and picked at the food. It wasn't bad, though his mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood, so he couldn't really speak to the taste. He chugged the water and set the plastic cup back down on the table.

This had become his life. He was reduced to eating food that tasted of blood and waiting for the pain to come back to him. His limbs buzzing with numbness. His mind racing with thoughts of a guy he hadn't spoken to in six weeks.

He turned when he heard shuffling on the floor and saw Leigh standing there, her arms crossed. "Hello, Harry," she said.

"I'm really getting tired of you people," he replied, taking a bite of food.

"I hope not. You'll be seeing a lot of me."

"Just take me back, then." He stood and locked eyes with her, trying to shake the numbness from his limbs.

"Oh, that's not my job."

"Then why are you here? Charlotte Singh already told me about the Chairman."

Leigh raised her eyebrows. "Did she? Well, that's not why I stopped by. I figured you would want to know that I saw Louis. You and he are a thing, right?"

Harry would hardly classify them as a thing. "Where?" he asked, his voice betraying his excitement.

"In town, actually. He brought all your friends, too."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed. They must be here to rescue him, Niall, and Liam, but how did they know where to come? "What?"

"I figure the best way to get my point across to them is to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

Leigh reached forward and pulled Harry close to her. He started to protest, but she cut him off. "My mother had a very skewed idea of what was right and wrong. She did everything that the Institution told her to. She thought that what she was doing was helping everyone, and that some day you would be thankful for what she did."

"She would have killed me," Harry sneered.

Leigh waved her hand. "I realize that she was wrong. So my girls and I, along with the volunteers from Australia, have decided that we're going to take down the Institution from the inside." She looked at him expectantly.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You expect me to go along with whatever you say just because you changed your mind? After all you've done?" Harry leaned in close, close enough that he could see the details of her eyes. "You hurt Louis, and you took Zayn, and you've tried to capture us, kill us, and hunt us too many times to count. There is nothing you could say that would make me listen to you."

"I haven't forgotten what Louis did."

Harry took a step back and crossed his arms. "What did Louis do?"

"He hurt my girls. Jade still doesn't have the feeling back in her hand, and I was knifed in the back."

"He did those things because you were hunting us!"

She had nothing to say to that. She stepped back into the doorway. "Realize that all of this," she gestured around her, "was not my idea. Singh is very adamant about following the Chairman's instructions to a T. And you'd better hope Louis gets to you without meeting me, because if he tries anything, I won't hold back." She turned and walked away, shooting her next words over her shoulders. "I'm sure six of you bravos will do."

Harry scowled. This woman was absolutely despicable. No matter what she said, she would always be a shit person.

Two women showed up then to escort Harry back to his storage locker prison. He reveled in the light on the way back, because he knew that he wouldn't see it again until the next day. He, Niall, and Liam would be kept in the dark again.

He was the first of the three to get back, so he lay alone in the dark once again. He began to speak to fill the silence. "Dear God, this place is terrible. Absolutely horrid. It's dark and cold and quiet and lonely, even when Liam and Niall are here. And it's boring when I'm not in pain, but it's a nightmare when I am." He imagined it was Louis beside him. He imagined Louis laying in his arms. "I'm glad you're with me, Louis," he mumbled. "As much as I wish you were safe, I'm glad you're here with me. Does that make me a bad person? That I would rather you be in this hellhole with me than safe at home?"

He jumped up, though, when he heard Liam's voice pass by. "Where the hell are we going? I'm pretty sure that's where I was before." Liam's voice faded away down the hall.

Then came Niall, who said something along the lines of, "Will you shit faced arseholes let go of me already?" before he, too, was out of earshot.

Harry was on his feet, his hands pressed to the unforgiving metal door, suddenly aware of the emptiness of the space around him. He leaned his forehead against the cool metal, trying to recall the words that Niall had sung on that first night.

"Rest tired eyes a while," he sang. "Sweet is thy baby's smile. Angels are guarding and they watch o'r thee."

That moment was when he realized just how insane he had become. Erratic emotions, talking to himself and a boy who wasn't there, and singing himself lullabies. He had hurt himself and trashed his room, and he had never felt so detached from himself. His body was numb and he couldn't feel a thing.

"Sleep, sleep, grah mo chree, here on your mamma's knee." He lay on the floor once again, curled into a ball with his back to the door. 

"Angels are guarding and they watch o'er thee."


	11. Again

For a moment after waking up, Louis forgot where he was. He had gotten used to unfamiliarity by now. It was only when he opened his eyes and saw Zayn sleeping in the stained bed next to him that he remembered.

Soon they would go and save the boys. Soon he would see Harry again.

He rolled out of the bed and took in the scene around him. Josue and Pete slept in the other bed, Josue snoring softly. Daniel slept sitting in the armchair by the TV, and Mag was nowhere to be seen.

Louis went into the filthy bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He had huge dark circles under his eyes and his skin was oily and shiny. His hair, too, was unkempt and messy. He ran his fingers through it, pulling it into a fringe on the side. This was probably how he looked back in Finland. This was what he looked like when he met Harry.

Harry.

The thought of him sent Louis to his knees, dry heaving with an empty stomach into the dingy toilet. 

Harry was in pain and most likely scared, and Louis was stressed to the point of nausea.

Louis leaned back against the cold bath and closed his eyes, trying his best to recreate the way he had felt Harry back at Mag's. He shut out everything around him and concentrated on everything that was  _Harry_.

Darkness. Pain. Numbness weighing down his limbs. This time, the voice softly singing that Irish lullaby was Harry, and there was no other noise in the room. His back ached from being curled up for however long.

"Harry," Louis whispered. The name rattled around in his head, more of a thought than of a word. The song continued uninterrupted. "Harry," he said, louder. There was the slightest hesitation in the melody. "Harry!" Louis shouted.

Harry jumped, and Louis felt the goose flesh raising on Harry's arms. "Louis?" Harry mumbled uncertainly, the word echoing through the emptiness. Harry's fists pressed into the sides of his head, and his eyes squinted shut. He curled up impossibly tighter.

"Harry, hang on," Louis said.

"Why are you in my head?" Tears tracked down Harry's face, dripping to the floor.

Louis wanted to comfort Harry, to hold him, but he couldn't. He couldn't control Harry's body, he could just experience. "I'm coming for you," he said.

Harry's body shook slightly. "Get out of my head."

Louis lost concentration then, and he felt the pressure of the floor on his tailbone. When he opened his eyes, Zayn was crouched in front of him, his hand on Louis' shoulder, and Daniel stood behind. "Evening," Zayn said. "What exactly was that?"

"What?"

"You were yelling for Harry and talking to him."

"I'm sorry," Louis said, his voice breaking. A sob wracked his body. "I'm so sorry."

"What happened?"

"I saw... Harry... I was Harry... He's alone," Louis sobbed, his chest heaving between every few words.

Zayn put both his hands on Louis' shoulders, a comforting presence. "Where is Liam?'

Louis shook his head. Zayn stood and rubbed his hands over his face and pressed them together in front of his mouth. He paced around the tiny bathroom. Daniel left the room, leaving Zayn and Louis alone.

Louis couldn't stop the heaving sobs. He couldn't catch his breath. He heard the door to the room open and close again, and whispered words between four people. Then Mag was in the bathroom, kneeling in front of Louis, and Zayn was gone.

Mag pressed a hand to Louis' cheek. Then she pulled him to her chest, rubbing his back and rocking him back and forth. "It's alright, my boy. It will all be alright."

"No, it won't."

"Yes, it will." She pushed him back and wiped his tears away. "Now stop with your crying and get ready. I brought you food, and we only have an hour till sunset."

Louis sniffled and nodded. Mag helped him stand, and the two of them together went to sit on the edge of one of the beds. Zayn and Daniel stood before them, and Josue sat on the other bed. Pete excused himself to go to the bathroom. Mag leaned over and picked up three large McDonald's bags and handed a burger and fries to each of them. "Now, boys, we realize that this is not going to be easy."

"No one said it was," Josue said.

"You all know your jobs?" Daniel asked.

"If you know yours, I know mine."

Louis and Zayn both ate silently, staring into middle distance. Louis' eyes still burned from tears. His mind swam with thoughts of Harry, of how Harry had seemed not only in pain, but also broken in so many ways. He could only hope that holding Harry again would fix them both.

"Louis?" Mag said. Her hand touched his elbow.

His head snapped up. "Yeah?"

"We'll get him."

He bit his lip and let his eyes drift shut. He fell back onto the bed. He dozed off there to the droning of the voices around him.

One hour later, Mag woke him up. The light that drifted through the curtains was now artificial rather than sunlight. Louis sat up, ignoring the throbbing headache. Over the past few months, he had discovered that heightened senses also meant pain was so much worse. He sat up straight. "Is it time?"

Mag nodded. "Let's go."

The car was quiet as all six of them piled inside. Mag drove with Daniel in the passenger seat. The four boys crowded in the backseat. When Josue complained, Mag simply said that she hadn't accounted for a large black man joining them.

The car ride was quiet, and they parked the car far enough away from the storage lockers that they wouldn't attract attention. Then the six of them crept along the dark roadside until the building was in sight. He knew there were plenty of women inside, but he could only hear seven heartbeats. "Our three boys and four more men, most likely those who came after us." Zayn sighed in relief.

"How many women, then?" Daniel asked.

Zayn shook his head. "Our abilities don't work on women."

"That's where your gun comes in," Mag said.

Daniel nodded. "First order of business- get you people guns. Louis and I will lead the way."

This was as they had planned. Until they could get their hands on their weapons, Daniel would use his gun and Louis would use his abilities to keep them as safe as possible. Because, of course, though his abilities didn't work on women, they certainly worked on their possessions.

So they led the way, Daniel and Louis first, then Mag, then Josue, Pete, and Zayn bringing up the rear. They first encountered trouble at the back door, where they planned to enter.

Daniel held up a fist, and they crouched to the ground. He flashed them one finger, and Louis circled away as they had planned. Mag went in the other direction and intentionally rustled in the bushes.

The woman at the door turned and narrowed her eyes in the direction of the noise. Louis sneaked up behind her and snapped her neck, and the sound didn't phase any of them. Clearly they had all had experience with death.

The other five came running, and Louis tossed the woman's gun to Zayn first. They used her keys to unlock the door. Mag grabbed the handle, and Zayn and Daniel leveled their guns. Mag pulled the door open. Daniel moved in with Louis, then Mag, Pete, and Josue, and Zayn at the rear.

Each corner was the same drill: Louis would listen for shuffling or noise of any kind, Daniel would whip around, gun first, and then they would move. They managed silence until they all had weapons, and then Louis took the lead. He listened for the heartbeats that he recognized. The hallways were narrow and straight, and soon they reached the first of the boys. They didn't have keys to the locks, so Josue melted the lock. The door slid open far too loudly for Louis' liking. It opened to reveal Niall dozing in the corner. 

"Niall," Zayn said, jogging toward him. Niall's eyes snapped open.

"Zayn?" he mumbled. A grin split his face. "Zayn!"

Zayn pulled him up and handed him the spare handgun he had stored in his pocket. "We have to move."

"Man, my legs are jelly."

"Well, you'd better get over it fast."

Louis nodded down the hall. "Move."

Down the hall, around another corner, and one more woman later, they reached a second door that Josue opened for them once again. This time, Liam's eyes stared back at them, fully aware and fully awake. And as soon as he looked at Zayn, his face lit up with the purest joy and their hearts sped up. Zayn ran forward and fell to his knees to wrap Liam in a crushing hug. Louis heard their whispered "I missed you"s and even an "I love you." They shared a kiss, and Louis and the others respectfully away. Their hearts slowed and they stood to join the rest.

"One more," Mag said quietly. She nudged Louis with her elbow.

"Let's move," Louis said, his voice low.

And that, of course, was when everything went wrong.

The next corner found them facing off against a full army of thirty women, all crouched in a line with machine guns ready to fire. Louis leaned back against the wall, his eyes screwed shut. He heard three unfamiliar heartbeats behind the ranks of women.

"I didn't know that you would deliver yourself right to me," a woman with an Australian accent said. "If you come quietly, it will be better for all of us."

Louis looked at the line of people around him, heard their hearts all speed up, their breath coming heavy in fear.

"We can't get shot," Niall said. "I can't heal you."

"I can make it not hurt."

And, just like that, Louis' brain banished all the pain he felt. And he felt courageous. He checked to make sure his gun's magazine was full and held it ready. "Time to do this."

Daniel, Mag, Louis, and Niall darted across the hall to the other corner. Louis could hear more women footsteps and rattling guns coming from all other directions. Daniel held up three fingers. Two. One.

Louis fell to the ground, Mag above him, and Daniel above her. Niall stepped a little farther out, and the halls echoed with gunfire and bullets pinging against metal. Louis saw bullet pierced women and knocked them over. And, above all the noise, a laugh.

"Liam! Down!" Louis shouted. He saw the bullet spinning through the air, flying toward Liam.

Liam didn't move fast enough, and Louis watched in horror as it hit Liam and sent him flying back into the wall with a splash of crimson. A bullet cracked the cement to Louis' right, and he spun to see six women behind him. He saw his leg get shot, but he didn't feel it. Instead, he took the six women out with six shots.

When he turned again, Liam was standing, shooting at the women in the opposite direction, blood spilling from his abdomen. When Louis again peeked around the corner, only nine people still stood. There were four boys, one with his left arm wrapped up tightly with gauze. He was the one from the diner, Louis realized, and he was the only boy holding a gun. The other boys stood confidently despite the fact that they were unarmed. There were the four women that Louis recognized from the Institution's compound. They, too, held guns ready. The last woman held a gun loosely at her side, her dark hair pulled up. Her laugh had gone, though, and her face was screwed in rage.

"You killed my women," she said.

"And you would have killed us," Liam said. He took a step toward the woman. He certainly looked menacing with the blood pouring from a bullet wound and no pain in his face.

The woman laughed, and Louis flinched at the insanity in her voice. "We never wanted to kill you."

"Then why did you shoot me?"

She raised her gun with one hand. "Collateral damage."

A gunshot sounded, and the woman fell to the ground. Leigh lowered her arms. "Follow me," she said. Louis and the others aimed at Leigh, unmoving and unrelenting. Leigh sighed. "I'm not your enemy anymore," she said. She dropped her gun to the ground, and all the others on her side did the same. "You need medical attention." With that, she turned and walked away.

Louis hesitated only a second before he followed, hearing the others fall into step behind him. Leigh stopped only once to unlock one of the storage lockers and continued on her way.

Louis stopped, waving the other boys ahead. Mag stayed back with him as he opened the door, light spilling onto Harry, curled up in the middle of the floor. 

"Harry?" Louis asked quietly. He stepped forward.

"You're not real," Harry said, not looking up.

"Of course I'm real." Louis' heart was breaking, hearing Harry so broken. "What can I do to prove it?"

Harry said nothing, just pushed himself up. His eyes were red and puffy, his face stained with tears. "I don't know," he whispered, and Louis was sure that he meant more than just whether Louis was real.

Louis fell to his knees and pressed his hands to Harry's damp cheeks. "I'm real, and I'm not leaving again."

Harry nodded and fell into Louis' arms. Louis pressed a quick kiss to his lips before pulling Harry into a crushing hug. He felt the pain in his leg where he had been shot, but he couldn't care less.

He had Harry again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not the end of the story, trust me. You haven't seen the last of any of the characters.


	12. Fire

Zayn thought they were in the clear.

He and the other boys stayed alert, but the volunteers and the women stayed calm. The blonde one, Perrie, kept eyeing him in a strange way, but he ignored her. Liam's hand was cold and clammy in his. He leaned closer. "Are you alright?"

Liam nodded. "A little lightheaded, that's all."

Zayn squeezed his hand tighter and said nothing. 

"My stomach hurts."

And that's when Zayn knew something was really wrong. His abilities should be taking away Liam's pain. It seemed that the more blood Liam lost, the less Zayn's powers worked. "Where are we going?" he asked Leigh.

Jesy turned, and Zayn saw the scar across her chest from their time in the woods. "We have a medical room set up." Jesy's eyes flicked down to Liam's wound. "We're almost there, don't worry."

But almost wasn't enough. Liam stumbled and fell into the wall, barely managing to stay on his feet. He pushed himself back up. "I'm fine," he said, holding a flat hand out to Niall and Zayn. But the next step he tried to take sent him crashing to the ground.

"Liam!" Zayn shouted. He fell to his knees and pressed his hands to the warm wound in Liam's body.

"Move!" Jesy yelled, pushing her way past Josue and Pete. She felt for Liam's pulse. "Get him up."

Zayn and Niall each grabbed an arm and hauled Liam up. They went as fast as they could around another corner and into a storage locker that was much larger than the others. They lay Liam down on the table, and Jade rushed forward to get medical supplies out of the cabinet in the corner.

"What blood type is he?" Jade asked.

Leigh pushed Zayn out of the way. "AB. Hook me up." She held out her arm, and within moments, blood flowed down a tube and into Liam's arm.

Jade pulled up the hem of Liam's shirt and grabbed a pair of forceps. "You may want to look away," Jade said.

Zayn tried, but his eyes stayed glued on the wound as Jade used the forceps to fish in the wound for the bullet. Liam screamed in agony, his hands curled into fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. Jade pulled out the bullet bit by bit. By the time she finally set the forceps down, Liam was unconscious. Jade stitched up the wound tightly and stepped back. "That's all I can do."

Zayn stood by Liam's side for a long time after that.

 

~

 

Louis finally got Harry to stand and pulled him by the hand out of the storage locker. "I'm not sure how I feel about the hair," he said.

Harry touched his raggedly cut hair. "Kinda forgot about that, to be honest. Who is this?"

"This is Mag," he said, gesturing to Mag. "Mag, this is Harry."

"Is this your bodyguard?" Harry asked doubtfully.

"No, she's more of a friend slash getaway driver."

"I've heard a lot about you," Mag said. "All good things, I assure you."

Harry shook her hand but addressed Louis with his next words. "I heard you talking to me earlier," he said. By his tone, Louis could tell he doubted himself.

Louis rubbed his arm with his hand, slightly self conscious about what he had done. "Yeah. Apparently I can do that."

"How did you find us?"

The three of them started walking in the direction that the others had gone. "I was kind of... In your head a few days ago."

"What the hell do you mean?"

"Somehow I was able to experience everything that was happening to you. I don't know how, and I know it was an invasion of your privacy, but honestly, it was an accident."

Harry's face was screwed up in irritation, and he pulled his hand away. "Damn right it was. How many times?"

"Just twice."

"Just twice," Harry repeated. He crossed his arms and let out a sigh. "I'm glad you did, though. How exactly did it work?"

Louis shrugged. "Like I said, I could see and hear and whatever everything you could. And apparently talk to you."

"No mind reading?"

"No mind reading."

"No mind control?"

"None."

Harry reached out and pulled Louis into a hug. "Thank you," he muttered into Louis' hair. "I don't think I could have lasted much longer."

That's when Louis felt the ridges under Harry's shirt. Before Harry could react, he pulled the shirt up to expose seven cuts on Harry's stomach, each of them red and inflamed and not completely healed. "What is this?" he asked. He tried to sound angry but failed, instead sounding concerned and confused.

"That's nothing," Harry said, covering himself again.

"What is this?" Louis asked again. 

"I kind of... had a break down a few weeks ago," Harry said. "Right before I ended up here. I trashed my room, cut my hair, and did this."

Louis licked his lips and pressed them together. Once again, he had failed Harry in so many ways. "I'm sorry," he said, for some reason feeling as though this was all his fault despite his knowledge that all of this was out of control.

Harry just shook his head and walked again. He stopped when he reached the next corner and stared aimlessly down the hall. In the harsh fluorescent light, he looked even more pale and gaunt than Louis remembered from their time at the compound. "What the," Harry whispered. 

Mag passed Louis, so she looked around the corner before Louis. Her eyebrows drew together.

When Louis saw the crowd of people, he knew something was wrong. Niall, Pete, and Josue stood in a small group looking concerned. Daniel stood beside them, his hand on the handle of his holstered gun. Perrie and Jesy stood talking to the four boys.

"What's going on?" Louis asked.

Niall leaped forward to hug Harry as Daniel spoke. "Liam collapsed. He lost a lot of blood."

And all they could do was stand there. Louis could hear Liam's heart beating slowly, but he could tell that his heart was pumping faster with each second. "He'll be fine," he said.

"How do you know?"

Niall finally let go of Harry. "Danny, trust him."

"Don't call me that."

Jesy called their attention. "I'd prefer to get out of here as quickly as possible. There is a motel in town near a diner, and I was thinking we could go there."

"What about Liam?" Niall asked.

"As soon as he wakes up, we'll go."

"There are fifteen of us, though."

"There will definitely be enough rooms."

Louis couldn't help but feel like a child on a field trip, the way Jesy spoke to them with a slightly condescending tone. And it just so happened that Louis knew exactly where Jesy was talking about. And he heard Zayn sigh and his heartbeat slow, and Liam's mumbled hi. "Liam's awake," Louis said.

The four boys looked at him in surprise, and the one with the curly golden hair spoke up. "How can you tell?"

Louis shrugged. "I can hear him."

Clearly this answer made little sense to them, and Louis understood. He stood at least four lockers away from where Liam was, and the four boys hadn't heard anything. Louis observed their faces. Three of them, the fast one, the one with the wrapped arm, and the one with the golden hair all looked genuinely confused and focused solely on the current situation. The other one, with the tan skin and the dark hair, seemed preoccupied.

Harry leaned close to Louis, his breath tickling his ear. "Those four actually volunteered for this," he said. Louis listened to his voice, barely hearing the words as Harry told him their names. "Are you listening?" he asked.

"I need you not to stop talking," Louis said. Each calm, mundane word Harry said loosened the knot in Louis' chest, assured him that everything would eventually be alright.

It was then that Zayn walked out of the room, Liam's arm slung over his shoulder. Louis listened closely, finding that Liam's heart beat steadily. The crook of his elbow was wrapped tight, his shirt and jeans were still bloody, and he was a bit pale, but judging on the circumstances, he looked surprisingly healthy.

Jesy whispered some words to Leigh that Louis didn't bother to listen to. He grabbed Harry's hand and squeezed it tight, reassured when Harry squeezed back.

"Boys, go grab our things," Leigh said, and the volunteers jogged away. "As for you boys, we'll talk in the morning."

Niall asked the question Louis was sure was drifting through everyone's minds. "What are we going to do about all these... bodies?"

"Let us worry about that." Leigh reached over and patted Niall's shoulder, and Niall flinched away.

The volunteers returned then, each with only a small bag slung over their shoulders and another bag that they handed to each of the women. Leigh turned to lead the way outside. Her seven companions followed her closely, but the seven bravos, Mag, and Daniel stayed a few steps away.

Then there was a flurry of gunshots, and the women and the volunteers all jumped back from the opening of the corridor. Beyond the corridor was a large garage filled with empty metal shelves which had been shoved away from them. The shots came from the right, back toward the front of the building. Daniel held his gun at the ready and moved past Leigh to peek out. Then he holstered his gun and walked right out. 

"Daniel, what are you doing?" Peter exclaimed.

Daniel's voice spoke up, but not to Peter. "They're all okay," he said. Then footsteps, and four people looked at them. Among them was Eleanor Calder, whose face lit up with relief. "Louis, you're alright!" Eleanor said. The others, who Louis figured were all their bodyguards, each walked up to their respective boy. Zayn wasn't phased when no one looked for him, but Harry's face fell.

"Are you alright?" Louis asked, his hand on Harry's arm. He ignored when Eleanor tried to get his attention. She said something about having searched for this place for two weeks, and how was he here, and why were they not fighting the people from the Institution.

"Jane Smith," was all Harry said.

"She's dead," Eleanor said.

Harry's head snapped to Eleanor, but his face and his voice were completely devoid of emotion. "Oh."

Louis saw the volunteer, Ashton, look away from Harry.

"Let's go," Leigh said.

The man who now supported Liam spoke up. "Who are you to tell anyone what to do?"

"Leigh Pinnock," she said

"That means nothing, other than you work for the Institution."

"I am going to set fire to this place to get rid of all of our DNA, and it doesn't matter to me whether you are or aren't in the building when it happens."

The man had nothing to say to that. Within moments, they all stood outside, watching as the place burned. Fire lit the sky, black smoke billowing from the flames.

Louis held tight to Harry, who held him even tighter back. And they watched the fire burning away.


End file.
